Chard and Bean Soup

A girlfriend mentioned a white bean and kale soup being all the rave in her fine city of Portland, OR. So I thought, why not give it a try! Loving to get creative and throw together a soup, I substituted the kale for chard because I had a bunch of red chard needing a home, and fast. It was nice too because the red stalk of the chard gave the vegetable broth more of a red hue which typically can be obtained by a dash of tomato paste. I threw in  extra items found in the fridge (a half a head of Napa cabbage, carrots etc...) and gave it a bit of a Minestrone flare with the addition of a macaroni noodle.

Chard and Bean Soup

Two cans of White Canellini Beans (large white beans?) and drained

5 large stalks of Chard

2 portions of macaroni noodles (1 cup perhaps?)

2 large carrots chopped in half moons 

2 large celery stalks chopped in half moons

1 medium onion, medium dice

1/2 a head of Napa cabbage

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large box of vegetable broth (32 oz)

32 oz of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat (saute) the celery, onions, carrots and garlic in the bottom of the pan with a little bit of oil. Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil, add the macaroni and simmer. Add the cabbage. After 10 minutes with the macaroni cooking, throw in the chard and the drained canned beans. No reason to let the chard and the beans stew in the hot broth because you don't want the chard to wilt and loose it's nutrients plus the beans are already cooked. Top soup with a lil shaved Parmesan and enjoy:)