Crock pot — Mamavation

I love to warm up with a good hearty soup and since my family doesn’t eat meat everyday this recipe has become one of my favorites. It packs the fiber power of beans and veggies with the beta carotene and calcium of kale in a lovely and simple soup.

Healthy Crock Pot Tuscan Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

2 c. dry cannellini beans
3 Tbsp. salt (for the brine)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8 med. garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
3 c. water
2 bay leaves
1 generous bunch of kale, washed
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

The night before, put 2 cups of dry beans in a large bowl with 3 Tbsp. salt and 4 quarts water. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to brine overnight. Surprised by this step? This tip comes from Cooks Illustrated for preparing dry beans. Really, it works!
In the morning, drain and rinse the beans well.
Combine the stock, water, bay leaves and soaked beans in a crock pot. Set the crock pot for 8 hours (low setting).
When there is 4 hours remaining on the crock pot, get the vegetables ready. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot and garlic over medium heat. Soften the vegetables till they start to become translucent.
Add the vegetables to the crock pot and continue cooking.
With 30 minutes remaining for the soup, chop the kale and remove any tough ribs. Add these and the drained tomatoes to the crock pot.
When the soup has finished, switch it over to warm. Submerge your rosemary and leave it for only 15 minutes. It will infuse the soup with it's oils. ...and it smells amazing!
Remove the rosemary sprig and add salt and pepper to taste.