Fall Squash, Sweet Potato, Kale, and White Bean Soup

After loading up on squash at the grocery store this weekend, I needed to figure out what to do with it.  Aside from the squash, I had sweet potatoes and lots of kale on hand, so I hopped on the computer to look for inspiration.  We had our first legitimately chilly fall day today, so something warm was calling my name.  I decided to try a modified version of this butternut squash, kale, and white bean soup recipe I found here.

I used:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 can Great Northern beans
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 to 2 tsp. minced rosemary
8 to 10 oz. kale, rinsed, stems removed, and leaves cut into 1-inch wide ribbons
1 medium butternut squash, cut into small cubes

1 medium sweet potato, cut into small cubes
4  cups organic chicken broth (plus additional broth or water as needed)
Parmesan (optional)

We picked up that funny looking purple sweet potato at Sprouts over the weekend.  I had never seen anything like it before!

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary along with a pinch of salt. Sweat, reducing the heat if necessary, until the onion is very tender, stirring occasionally—about 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the kale and a pinch of salt.  Cook until kale turns bright green and shrinks down a bit.

3.  Add the squash and sweet potato and cook for another couple of minutes.

4.  Pour in the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

5.  Add the beans and additional water or broth if the soup is too thick.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  I also added a few red pepper flakes for a kick.

6.  Simmer for 5 more minutes.

7. Serve and top with fresh Parmesan.

The soup took me about an hour to make from start to finish, but the hands on time was a lot less than that.  It turned out so good and hit the spot on this chilly fall day!  The purple sweet potato mixed with the orange squash also made for quite a pretty fall color combo.  I am all about fall things right now...now I just have to go make something pumpkin for dessert!