Kale and bean soup with pesto toast

Its cold so the next few months my recipes are going to be hearty, warming and cosy! I love making soup because it is so nutritious and you can make a big batch to store in the freezer for a rainy day! I wanted to do a kale and bean chunky soup with pesto and I was so impressed with the results - and it's so easy!

You will need:

1 x onion, cubed

3 x shallots, cubed

1 x carrot, cubed

3 x celery stalks, sliced

4 x baby potatoes, cubed

5 x sprigs of thyme

1-2 x sprigs rosemary

olive oil salt and pepper

1.5 litres of water

cauliflower, broken into small florets

1-2 cups of mixed beans

3-4 sprigs of Kale, destalked and broken into pieces

pesto or salsa verde if you are vegan

bread - optional

turmeric oil - optional

Method:

• Get a medium sized pot on the hob over a medium heat with olive oil. Add the onions, shallots, carrot, celery, thyme, rosemary and potatoes to the pan. Add the salt and pepper. Cook off for roughly 10 minutes making sure the vegetables don't catch.

• Add 1.5 litres of water to the pan with the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes.

• Add in the beans for 5 minutes. Top with more water if necessary.

• Add in the kale for 3-4 minutes

• Serve into bowls and top with pesto and pesto toasts (optional)

Notes:

• Pesto toasts: I cooked my bread on a griddle topped with turmeric oil and then topped with the pesto pasta

• If you are vegan you can use salsa verde instead of pesto

• I used mixed tinned beans as I was time poor. However, if you have the time feel free to cook your beans from scratch.

• Turmeric oil - I use 1 tsp of ground turmeric to 300ml of extra virgin olive oil in a bottle. Shake before use (this is one  of my pantry staples - so good!)