🥘 Ingredients
- bay leaves 2
- large sprig of fresh sage 1
- large or of fresh rosemary 2 sprig
- extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
- celery ribs 3
- medium carrots 3
- large yellow onion 1
- Kosher
- medium Yukon Gold potato 6 oz
- artichoke hearts 1
- garlic cloves 6
- red pepper flakes ½ tsp
- vegetable broth 3 ½ cup
- cannellini beans 2
- baby kale or spinach 3-5 oz
- flat-leaf parsley 1 ½ cup
- garlic clove 1
- medium lemons 2
- Flaky
- good-quality extra virgin olive oil 1-2 tbsp
- For serving: Crusty bread to serve 4
Sage & Rosemary Bouquet Garni
If you don’t have kitchen twine: Replace the twine with (a) a long stem of parsley with leaves removed, or (b) plain, unwaxed dental floss. Or, place the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and use the corners to tie it into a knot. Don’t have any of those? Skip this prep step and see the recipe notes for the main dinner recipes for alternative instructions.
No Bouquet Garni? Finely chop 1 large sprig of sage (or the leaves from 8-10 thyme sprigs) + 1 large or 2 small sprigs of rosemary; sauté the herbs with the garlic in step 2; add 2 bay leaves with the beans in step 3, discarding the bay leaves before blending the soup. If you bought whole kale, use your fingers to strip out the tough middle ribs of 1 kale head; discard ribs. Stack the leaves and roll them up, then thinly slice (video here). Rinse and dry in a salad spinner or dry on towels. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes in step 7, or until tender. For Instant Pot instructions, see my blog post. Want more details? Check out my blog post. If you regularly make this soup, you might remember that gremolata normally has basil. If you bought basil, use 1/2 cup basil leaves and 1 cup parsley leaves. Storage: Store leftover Gremolata in a small jar, drizzle some olive oil on top to cover, seal, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Store the soup separately in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of water or broth if needed to thin it out, then top with the Gremolata. Serve freshly toasted bread on the side. Storage: Got more leftovers? The soup is freezer-friendly! Store in single-serve portions and defrost in the fridge. For quicker defrosting, I recommend these Souper Cubes. Nutrition boost: Serve the soup with whole wheat seeded sourdough. For more veggie action, use the optional artichoke hearts or add an extra handful of kale/spinach.
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1Prepare: bay leaves , large sprig of fresh sage , large or of fresh rosemary .
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2Gather the bay leaves, sage sprig, and rosemary sprigs in a single pile. Use kitchen twine to tightly tie them together. Label and store in a ziploc bag or a small airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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3Gather: extra virgin olive oil . For the mirepoix (from vegetable prep): celery ribs , medium carrots , large yellow onion , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, medium Yukon Gold potato , artichoke hearts , garlic cloves , red pepper flakes , vegetable broth , cannellini beans , Sage & Rosemary Bouquet Garni (of rosemary, sage, and bay leaves) (from meal prep) (see Note 1), baby kale or spinach . For the gremolata: flat-leaf parsley , garlic clove , medium lemons , Flaky sea salt, good-quality extra virgin olive oil , For serving: Crusty bread to serve .
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4Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the Mirepoix with a few pinches of salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened and just turning brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this cooks, peel the potato, rinse, and finely dice it. If using artichokes, drain and finely chop. Set aside with potatoes for step 3.
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5Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant, stirring frequently.
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6Add a splash of broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add the rest of the broth, drained beans, potatoes, artichokes if using, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, and several cracks of pepper. Stir well, then nestle the Sage & Rosemary Bouquet Garni into the soup.
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7Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer covered for 15 minutes , or until the potatoes are tender, stirring a couple of times.
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8Meanwhile, roughly chop the kale, toast your bread, and make the Gremolata. Gremolata: Finely chop the parsley. Using a microplane, grate the garlic and zest the lemons on top of the parsley. Mix to combine, then sprinkle with a bit of flaky salt. Set aside.
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9Once the potatoes are tender, remove from heat, scoop out the Sage & Rosemary Bouquet Garni, and discard. Blend about half of the soup (roughly 3 1/2 cup). Stand blender option: Transfer half of the soup to a stand blender. Replace the blender cap with a dish towel to vent steam. Blend until thick and smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot and stir well. One-pot option: Use an immersion blender throughout half of the soup, but be sure not to blend it all—you want to retain some texture.
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10Add the chopped kale to the soup. Simmer for 2-3 minutes , or until kale is tender but still bright green, stirring occasionally. If it gets too thick, add in 1/2 cup of additional broth. Taste, adding salt/pepper as needed.
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11Serve the soup in bowls. Sprinkle a generous amount of the Gremolata over each bowl followed by a generous drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve the toasted bread on the side.