Beans and Greens Soup

Jodies Kitchen Spicy Beans And Greens

Delicious and Healthy!

That pretty much sums it up for this delicious soup that I give all the credit to my Aunt Janice for.

My aunt is a New Yorker who was visiting down here in the south for a bit.I went over to my Moms one day for a visit with her and they were bragging on this soup that aunt Janice had made.I will be honest,It didn't sound like something that I would care for.

Being southern I pretty much eat my white beans

with a big ole ham bone or fat back cooked right in them.When I heard about all this green stuff going into the soup I thought, well I would never ruin my beans with that.I hadn't even seen what the soup looked like at that point in the conversation.

I had been very sick for about 3 weeks and they kept saying that all the ingredients in it would help to boost my immune system and make me feel better

"Come on they said, it's delicious and good for you just try it"!

I normally try anything once without hesitation but honestly I had just gotten my taste buds back and thought well,now that I can taste I really want a cheeseburger instead.. I am laughing hysterically at myself but it's true.

After a few minutes I gave in.

They presented me with the bowl of soup and I thought hum this looks kind of fancy from the normal beans I normally eat.

First taste from the spoon and I was blown away.

The flavor was fantastic! If you like white beans and any kind of greens you should like this.

In this post I did alter it a bit and added some red cabbage because I had some on hand and thought it would make a nice addition.The version they made me at Moms that day also did not have the Parmesan rind cooked in it,but the original recipe aunt Jan made did.

I was lucky enough that Mom had saved me a rind to make my soup today (Moms are great :) Well mine is♥ The rind will be optional and I have had it both ways and both are delicious.The rind does add a little something,you know that little hint of there is something really good in here but I just cant put my finger on it.

The heat level is also optional and if you want it more spicy add more chilli flakes less for less heat of course.I also used my Rosemary Infused Olive Oil since the recipe called for rosemary anyway.

You can double this easily if you wish,and it holds well for several days she said.In this recipe posted I did for my family of 3 and there is plenty to eat with left overs.

These Beans and Greens Partied at Gingham & Roses Blog Hop. Want to see other great entries.Hop on over and check them out.

Jodies Kitchen Beans and Greens Soup
Olive oil enough to saute and for garnishing

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake

2 garlic cloves sliced

1/2 large onion thinly sliced

2 stalks celery sliced

1 sprig rosemary stripped from stem and chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 pound dried white beans soaked over night & drained

1 Parmesan rind, plus grated parm for garnish

1/2 head of red cabbage sliced (optional)

Kale removed from stems and ribs torn or chopped,amount as you like

Baby spinach amount as you like

2 cups arugula trimmed and divided

1 tsp.fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven and cook pepper flakes and garlic until garlic is tender being careful not to burn.Add onion,celery and rosemary,salt and pepper.Cook until onion is soft.Add the Parmesan rind,beans and about 8 cups of hot water.Bring to a boil and let simmer,stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed.Add cabbage and kale just before beans have softened.Continue cooking all together until beans are cooked good and tender.Add spinach and half of arugula,cook until greens are wilted or cooked to your liking.Toss remaining arugula with 1/2 tsp olive oil,lemon juice and salt. Serve soup and top with arugula salad and grated Parmesan cheese.Drizzle of olive oil for garnish.