Kitchen Sink Soup

I know I am ready for winter when I start filling my grocery cart and fridge with more food than I can possibly eat in one week. I just see yummy looking ingredients, detour from my carefully planned list, and fill up my grocery cart. Doing may make me seem like part squirrel, but it also has helped me to come up with really yummy recipes. 

Today's recipe is compliments of my having binge bought far too much kale, leeks, and carrots at the farmers market and from having stock piled too many dried beans in my cupboards. And I'm happy it happened because this soup was delicious! 

Kitchen Sink Soup - serves about 8 

1 cup of mixed dried beans, soaked overnight in water (or 2 cans of beans)

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

3 medium leeks, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small can of tomato paste

1 tablespoon chili powder 

2 teaspoons dried ginger

2 teaspoons salt 

6 cups water

1 rind of Parmesan cheese, if desired 

3/4 cup dried lentils (or 1 can of lentils)

1 bunch of kale, ribs removed and sliced into ribbons 

2 cups of pre-cooked baby potatoes, halved if larger than bite sized

Yogurt, goat cheese, or Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. In a large soup pot, saute onions, leeks, garlic, and carrots in oil until onions are soft. 

2. Add tomato paste and spices and stir to combine. 

3. Add water, Parmesan rind, and beans (if dried and pre-soaked) and bring to a simmer to cook the beans. Simmer about 20 minutes and check beans for doneness. If almost soft, proceed to next step. Otherwise, simmer a little longer. 

4. Add lentils (if dried) and simmer another 10 minutes. 

5. Add kale and potatoes and cook until kale is wilted and potatoes are warm, about 2 minutes. If using canned beans and lentils, add these at this point too. 

6. Serve in bowls garnished by whatever you have - a scoop of plain yogurt, a dollop of soft goat cheese, or a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

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