Hearty Vegan Kale & Bean Soup

A couple of years ago, I went vegan for six months. Although I couldn’t stick with it permanently, I did gain a lot from the experience, including a love of cooking. Being vegan meant I had to prepare almost all of my meals from scratch, which is a habit that has stuck with me. Lately, I’ve been cooking a lot for my family, combining veggies and other healthy foods into super yummy meals.

Today I’m coming at you with my first ever food post! I’m going to show you how to put together a hearty kale, bean and rice soup that is simple to make and vegan. Surprisingly, with such few ingredients, it is full of flavor, and has a thick, creamy texture.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

    •    1/2  bunch of kale

    •    1 can of undrained white beans

    •    1/2 of an onion

    •    1 cup of uncooked white rice

    •    Salt

    •    Pepper

    •    Oil

    •    Water

 

Directions

1.  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil before adding the rice and letting it simmer covered until the water is completely absorbed.
2.  While the rice cooks, prep the veggies by chopping up your onion and removing the kale from its stalks.
3. Combine the veggies in a frying pan with about 2 tablespoon of oil and let them sauté until the onions are golden and the kale has shrunk in size.
4. Next, add the entire can of beans, liquid included, into the pan.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add water to the pan gradually, letting the veggies and beans simmer in the liquid for about 10 to 15 minutes. If you accidentally add too much water, simply continue simmering until it reduces.
7. When the rice is finished, add it to the pan and continue simmering for about 5 more minutes. At this point you might need to add more water, as the rice will absorb some of it.
8. When you are happy with the consistency, remove the pan from the heat and serve.

I love this recipe for the colder months, but honestly it’s just as good in the summer. With fresh veggies in abundance this time of year, I plan on cooking up plenty of meals for myself and my family, some of which I will share here on my blog. If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think!