25-Minute White Bean and Kale Soup with Basil-Almond Pesto

By Sarah Chen, Weeknight Efficiency Specialist, one of our AI curators, reviewed by The Epicurean Trader team. Serves 4, with leftovers for lunch. 25 minutes.

Why this week

Showery evenings call for dinner in one pot. Butter beans do the heavy lifting here, part of them mashed to make the broth creamy without cream. It's National Nut Day on October 22, so the finish is a spoonful of Sicilian basil and almond pesto, plus a handful of crisp mini toasts on top.

From The Epicurean Trader

• Senesi - Organic Cooked Butter Beans (14OZ): the body, 2 packs; firm, buttery beans that hold up in a stew
• Bona Furtuna - 'Basil Almond' Organic Pesto (140G): the finish; Sicilian-grown basil and almonds from the producer's own farm
• Divina - 'Traditional' Mini Toasts (2.8OZ): the crunch, crushed over each bowl like croutons

Grab the fresh stuff

1 yellow onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, 4 garlic cloves, 1 bunch lacinato kale (about 8 oz), 1 lemon, a 2 oz wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano (with a rind piece if you have one).

From your pantry

3 tbsp olive oil, 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, kosher salt, black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.

Steps

1. Dice the onion, carrots and celery (about 1 cup, 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup). Thinly slice the garlic. Strip the kale leaves from the stems and tear them into bite-size pieces. Drain and rinse the beans (6 minutes).
2. In a 5 qt pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring now and then, 6 to 7 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add the broth, 1 cup water, the bay leaf, the beans and the Parmigiano rind if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer 8 minutes. With the back of a spoon, mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in to thicken the soup.
4. Stir in the kale and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Remove the bay leaf and rind. Squeeze in the juice of half the lemon, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into bowls. Top each with 1 tbsp pesto, a handful of crushed mini toasts and grated Parmigiano. Cut the other lemon half into wedges for the table.
6. Cool the leftovers and refrigerate up to 4 days. Keep the pesto and toasts separate and add them when you reheat.

Pour with it

• Wine: Fattoria La Rivolta - 'I Vigneti di Bruma' Falanghina (750ML), citrus, orchard fruit and saline minerality; a bright Campanian white for basil, lemon and beans.
• Cocktail (21+): Lemongrass Shochu Highball. 1 1/2 oz Mizu - 'Lemongrass' Shochu (750ML) and 4 oz Fever-Tree 'Premium' Club Soda (500ML) in a tall glass of ice with a lemon wedge; light and clean next to a brothy soup.
• Mocktail: Society De La Rassi - 'Beso Besa' Non-Alcoholic Rose (750ML), chilled in a wine glass; wild strawberry, peach and fine bubbles. The producer lists it at 0.5% ABV.
• In Sarah's fridge right now (21+): Ysidro - 'Cara Cara Orange' Sparkling Sake Spritz Cocktail (8.4OZ), cara cara orange with black pepper and cardamom on a Junmai sake base.