1st method if using canned or pre-cooked beans without cooking broth: after draining and rinsing the canned legumes thoroughly under running water (for those not canned, this step is not necessary), sauté a whole clove of garlic in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Once it’s browned, remove it, add the legumes, 2 washed carrots, peeled and cut into chunks, 1 bay leaf, some celery stalk, 1 glass of water.

Cover and let it simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat on the medium stove. This way, you’ll have a sort of savory and fragrant broth to flavor our Tuscan kale and bean soup.

Now let’s move on to the Tuscan kale. Completely remove all the stems as they are hard and woody, and keep only the leaves. Wash them well and let them drain.

Heat some water in a large pot. When it comes to a boil, add a handful of coarse salt and add the kale leaves. Stir, cover, and let the water return to a boil.

From that moment, calculate about 20-25 minutes for the kale to cook.

When it’s cooked, drain it perfectly and add it to the legumes.

Cook our soup over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until the kale and legumes are well combined, and the cooking liquid has almost completely reduced. Adjust salt if necessary and add chili pepper to taste, whether powdered, fresh, or dried.

2nd method, if boiling the legumes: soak both white and red beans (you decide the quantities based on taste and needs, since leftover legumes can be stored in the fridge or freezer for other preparations) for 12 hours. You can also add a teaspoon of baking soda which facilitates and shortens cooking time.

After soaking, discard that water and rinse them under running water.

Transfer them to a tall pot, add water to cover them by two fingers, two chopped carrots without outer peel, a bay leaf (if you like), celery, and half a onion or a small spring onion (as it’s this season).

Cook until they are soft. Turn off immediately and salt to taste.

For the soup

In a pan, sauté a clove of garlic with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

As soon as it’s browned, remove it and add the well-drained boiled kale. Stir well, add the boiled beans and the carrot pieces, also cooked, a ladle of bean broth, and start cooking the soup as described above. Also, in this case, adjust salt and add a pinch of chili pepper.

Serve our delicious Tuscan kale and bean soup on slices of toasted bread; or break the toasted bread into pieces and mix it with the soup.

Bon appetit