Tuscan Bean Soup with Kale and Bacon

A hearty Tuscan bean soup with kale, fennel and potatoes, finished with some crispy bacon and Parmesan. It is filling, remains mostly vegetarian and is on the table in half an hour.

By yumbelo · 2 servings · 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can white beans, cooked (canned, drained)
• 1 pc onion
• 2 pc garlic cloves
• 1 pc carrot
• 1 pc fennel bulb
• 1 pc floury potato
• 150 g kale
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (canned)
• 750 ml water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 40 g smoked bacon, diced
• 30 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 60 g day-old ciabatta
• 1 pc bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• salt
• pepper

Method

1. Finely dice the onion, garlic, carrot and fennel. Peel the potato and cut it into small cubes. Remove the tough stems from the kale and cut it into coarse strips. Break the ciabatta into coarse cubes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and fry the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside.
3. Sweat the onion, carrot and fennel in the remaining fat over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, thyme and chili flakes and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the potato cubes, tomatoes, water and bay leaf to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer covered for about 15 minutes.
5. Add the drained beans and the kale and simmer for another 8 minutes until the potatoes and kale are soft. Season with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf.
6. Toast the ciabatta cubes in a dry pan until golden brown. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with bacon, bread cubes and Parmesan, and serve immediately.