KALE AND BUTTER BEANS SOUP WITH PESTO

Kale and Butter Beans Soup with Pesto image

This is perfect for cold weather, one of the best ways to cook with kale. It's a soup dish with the most wonderful crunchy texture from kale. The addition of basil pesto takes this traditional lentil-base soup to the next level. Serve hot with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Provided by Patty Gay

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Beans and Peas

Time 35m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 links Merguez sausage, casing removed and discarded
1 (16 ounce) can butter beans (large lima beans), drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 tomato, diced small
4 leaves kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons basil pesto
10 leaves fresh basil leaves

Steps:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, carrot, and garlic in hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
Break sausage meat into small pieces and stir into vegetable mixture; cook and stir until meat is slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir butter beans, water, and tomato into sausage mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir kale and pesto into the sausage mixture; cook and stir until kale wilts slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir basil leaves into soup.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 416.8 calories, Carbohydrate 28.5 g, Cholesterol 33.5 mg, Fat 27.5 g, Fiber 8 g, Protein 15.9 g, SaturatedFat 7.3 g, Sodium 488.5 mg, Sugar 4.3 g