Yesterday I revealed the sad truth about my food hoarding. I proposed a plan I am calling OPERATION SHOP AT HOME in an attempt to use up some of the surplus pantry and fridge items I have been hoarding. The paln was to either find recipes that use a lot of things I have or hand or to create new recipes around my stash. While browsing the Food Network magazine’s Thanksgiving issue today I spotted a recipe for a soup that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It was a Pasta, Kale and White Bean Soup with 12 ingredients, 10 of which I already had! I decided that we were going to be having this soup for dinner. Here’s my soup!
Here is the recipe as copied from the Food Network website.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus 1 small piece rind
- 1 1/2 cups small pasta, such as ditalini (about 8 ounces)
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen chopped kale, thawed and squeezed dry
DIRECTIONS:
Put the bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, tomato paste, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, 6 cups water and the parmesan rind. Increase the heat to high; cover and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and beans and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the kale. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind, stir in half of the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with the remaining cheese.
HERE’S HOW I SHOPPED AT HOME:
The only ingredients I didn’t have to make this soup were kale and white beans. The other ten ingredients were right here at home! In my jam-packed deli drawer I found three strips of bacon, the last of a package and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese with the rind on,as the recipe calls for.
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That’s because it was healthy.
Looks delicious. I have everything but the thyme. My kale is in my garden. It would be good with some leftover turkey thrown in too.
It is very similar to a minestrone, which I love. Beware, there were some funky smells emanating from the kitchen and Michael was afraid to come down for dinner. But, it was worth it.
Ohhh, that does look good, too! Good for you! Congratulations for shopping at home! I look forward to more of your shopping at home recipes!
TRy it but try to use the actual white beans. I think they would have been better. Cannelini, I think that is what they are called.