Quick to pull-together, hearty and nourishing. Enjoy Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup with a thick slice of crusty sourdough to make a cozy meal. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Conflicted Holiday
This time of year used to bring me conflicted feelings. I’ve been working on this for several years and am finally at a point where I’m more confident in how I feel about it and the way in which I choose to spend my time during the holiday season. Thankfully Rob has similar feelings and we’ve been able to work together through our shifting traditions.
During my early adult life, I found going into debt, internal pressure to find the perfect gift (and worse, sometimes to find and give a gift I really didn’t want to give – I know this sounds awful), having a beautifully decorated home and the associated stress this time of year brings to be overwhelming. Society told me a lot about how I should behave. I often felt not enough because when attempting to make sure I had it all together, it just brought more anxiety. But because traditions were strongly held to, I persisted. Yet, in my heart, something wasn’t quite right. Oh what I would have told my younger self.
Ripping into a package to find a treasure gave me a moment of excitement and gratitude. But the excitement faded, and I found, more often than not, the gift collected dust or went unused only to add to unwanted clutter, be returned (the looong lines) or donated later.
I found over time, I typically didn’t remember what was gifted or received. But instead, it was the time spent together that I remembered most; playing games, reflecting, talking, baking, taking a hike, planning travel in the new year and/or laughing for example. Ahhh… this is what I craved and wanted more of.
Giving and Receiving
I became increasingly aware of the stuff I received as gifts, from family, of course, but also from work related gifting, friends and those white elephant party gifts. Some of these things I was hesitant to participate in, but in the spirit of the season, and to support the traditions of family, coworkers and friends, I wanted to be a part of these events. Not that I wasn’t grateful for the thought and effort behind these gifts. That was never the point.
The point was not only my mental and emotional wellbeing, but also the collective impacts on our environment.
“Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week!” (Stanford University)
I didn’t know this statistic at the time my views were evolving, but taking a drive down the street on garbage collection day year after year post-Christmas holiday was enough for me to realize the added burden placed on natural resources and burgeoning landfills. So it’s not just the waste we generate, but the generation of more stuff. All this stuff has to come from and go somewhere. And at what cost?
The Story of Stuff
Then I discovered a video produced by Annie Leonard titled The Story of Stuff.
This is heavy to take, but it helped me understand what had been eating at me for years, through gathering bits and pieces of it in college, my own observations and through periodicals I read. Moving forward, I wanted to continue to shift my behavior but now I had a clearer picture of why.
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A New Soup
More on my holiday shift, how I choose to do things different and how this has made the holidays so much more enjoyable, in next week’s post. Until then, let’s talk about something a little lighter and easier to digest; this soup!
I started making a similar recipe from Bon Appetit years ago when our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share offered mustard greens. Now, this Texas girl knew nothing about mustard greens, so I started investigating, making and tasting.
Raw, I’m not so much a fan of the bitter tender greens, but cook them down a bit and they turn into a sweet and mild powerhouse of deliciousness! Now, I’m completely smitten. But mustard greens can be difficult to come by and, they have a short season. So I started using kale in lieu of, which is pretty much available year round from our local farms and in stores.
Recipe Adaptations
I also increased the lemon and garlic and omitted the parmesan cheese. You know, I love parmesan cheese, but felt this soup is perfect without it. I’d rather reserve the dairy for smearing butter on a thick slice of crusty Sourdough Bread! Besides, you’ll need something to sop up all that flavor infused broth.
Best of all, Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup can be on the table in under 30 minutes! I think it tastes better on day two.
I’d love to know…
how has your holiday story evolved or what new traditions have you created? Also, have you tried mustard greens? Share in the comments!
the recipe
Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 C (100g) Yellow Onion diced, about one medium
- 1 C (135g) Fennel Bulb* (see note) fronds trimmed and reserved, bulb sliced thin and chopped, about one large fennel
- 2-3 tsp Garlic minced, about 4-5 medium cloves (I like 3 tsp - but keep it milder with 2 tsp)
- 1/2 lb (215g) Bunch Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale stems removed, and chopped into bite size pieces (about 1 big bunch)
- 2 C (15oz / 425g) Cannellini Beans (aka white kidney beans) cooked, or one can, rinsed and drained
- 4 C (875g) Vegetable Broth** (see note)
- 1 C (237g) Water adjust up if a souper soup is desired
- 2 Lemons
- Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or medium stock pot, add the olive oil. Heat to shimmering and stir in the onions and fennel. Cook on medium low for about 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the onions and fennel have softened.
- Add the garlic and kale, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook on medium low until the kale is wilted, stirring a few times, about 3 minutes.
- Add the beans, broth and water, stirring gently so the beans don't break. Bring to a simmer, then turn to low. Cook to warm through about 5-10 minutes.
- Finish with a squeeze of half a lemon, plenty of fresh ground pepper and fine sea salt to taste. Serve with more lemon and chopped fennel fronds.
I’m about to harvest kale from the garden and want to stock the freezer with a variety of soups. Would this freeze well? I plan on blending it.
Hi Sylvia! Oh that sounds great. If blending, the soup will be fine frozen. If not blended, I didn’t care for the texture post freezing. I hope this helps, and you have a beautiful harvest!
Hi Traci,
I was craving soup and fennel when I stumbled across your blog and this recipe. I want to thank you so much for posting! I made this as written except I omitted the oil and added two medium yukon gold potatoes to use up leftover veggies. I currently have a sinus infection and this was exactly what I needed. Not only was it delicious but it was so easy to make! My husband usually likes more than soup for dinner so he made your beet sandwiches (https://vanillaandbean.com/roasted-beet-sauerkraut-sandwich/). I tried a bite and liked it so much he made me half a sandwich too!
I have saved a few other recipes that I am excited to try out!
Also, as the holidays approach this year I can already feel the comments you left above. My husband and I do not have kids, but if we did I would definitely struggle with teaching the importance of community and charity along with graciously accepting gifts and help from others. I have started adopting a more minimalist approach in some areas of my life (clothes, shoes, etc) and this holiday season we plan to invest in a trip we have been wanting to take to a national park as our gift to each other. I wish you luck and balance this year… and most of all good health!
Thanks again,
Samantha
Hello Samantha! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup and that beet sandwich! What a fabulous combination – thank you and your hubs for giving them a go! We’re similar in that regard, too Samatha about kids and teaching. I loved reading that you’ve a trip planned to a National Park! Rob and I went to Mt. Rainier last Christmas and loved every minute of it! Thank you again… and good health to you too!
Mahalo – (thank you) for the delicious soup recipie.. the perfect soup for a cold night. As for the post, i agree- actually, Christmas as we know it today has been modified from its original form- Winter Solstice. I find it interesting that we went from tracking the heavens and being outside connected to the divine in nature and ultimatley to ourselves to being stressed and feeling obligated to shop at malls and even at home now through the internet. We don’t even have to go outside to get in the car if we dont want to! It is hard to chg our programming..
peace and love to all always.
Mahalo Keomailani (beautiful name!)… maybe next? Thank you so much for your note and sharing. Indeed, modified. I know. There seems to be so little connection with nature… just shoved to the side like we don’t need it. Disregarded. Sadly. Frustratingly. The disconnection is felt, whether we acknowledge (or know it) or not. xo
Traci – such a lovely post. I feel ya! I worry that I am spoiling my kids and try really hard to make sure they understand what is most important at Christmas but it is hard. It’s most important to spend time with family! This soup looks so warm and comforting.
I can imagine the intense pressure with kiddos in the picture. I know I’d be hard pressed to stick to my convictions through the holidays. Your teaching about whats important is so good, Karen. They need to hear those messages, because there are so many others coming at kids that are contrary. I hope you enjoy the soup my dear.. xo
Ah, the beauty and wisdom of the years, you describe it so well my friend. And global applicability too… “Society told me a lot about how I should behave. I often felt not enough because when attempting to make sure I had it all together, it just brought more anxiety” funny, that’s precisely how I feel about social media on most days ;-). Your soup sounds divine – I’m on a roasted garlic roll (several heads at the same time, they preserve well) I think they would work beautifully here. Always appreciate your thoughtful recipes Traci. Our mornings are getting cooler and cooler, love the warmth.
The years… oh Kelly. Why does it take so long?! WHYYYY??? Social can be the same.. and I too feel overwhelmed. We need to catch up.. it’s been too long! OMGeee. Roasted garlic in this soup would be absolutely sublime. I’m going to try it xo
This is such an intense time of year, isn’t it? The pressure for everything to be perfect, the activities, the shopping, even the cooking can be a bit much. So much advertising being thrown at us, tempting us to want everything, and yet there is an emptiness to it all. The amount of stuff we accumulate overwhelms me as all, and I don’t even give much to our kids! In some ways, I wish there weren’t presents, but in other ways I’m reminded that it’s a way of showing love and for that I am thankful. Your soup sounds delightfully clean and delicious, and seems like just the thing we all need to balance out those cookies. :)
It can be intense, indeed! Pressure IS everywhere, Emily. It tells us to consume, consume, consume! It’s wasteful and way too much to manage – clutter overwhelms me too. This soup balances the cookies… I’ve been indulging :D I hope you enjoy it, Emily ! xo
I love you for talking about things that people don’t want to talk about. The realities of our over indulgence in consumption. Brandon and I have felt this way about giving gifts for a while now. If there is something we see that we know a loved one or a friend can use then we get it but not just because society tells us now is the time to go buy a bunch of stuff. We finally convinced our families to jump on board and it’s been so relieving not to stress about it anymore.
I would, however, be over the moon if someone gifted me this incredible soup! I just love fresh fennel and combining it with lemon and kale in a cozy broth sounds so perfect for this time of year. This is definitely going on my must make list!
Haha! I love how you put that, Sarah! Not fun or “joyous” anytime, but especially during the most wasteful time of year OMGeee! I figured it was the perfect time to bring it up! lOl… Hooray for convincing family to come aboard the less waste train! OMG… it’s my favorite time of year now. It’s not crazy. It’s peaceful and restful. :D
You’d love this soup, Sarah. It’s super fast and SO hearty… I hope you two enjoy it! xo
Oh man, I haven’t had fennel in awhile and your recipe gave me the perfect excuse to buy it again! The recipe looks divine! On a more serious note, I’m also shocked at how much we American’s waste this time of year, or really, any time of year. I’m not perfect at preventing waste in my household but I’m trying to be better. Do you have any tips on how people can easily start reducing their carbon footprint? I would read that post in a heartbeat!
You’re right about how much we waste… it is shocking and often goes under or unreported at all. It’s not sexy to talk about and doesn’t make network ratings go up. Trying to do better is important – just being mindful! It’s shifting old habits into intention. But you raise an important question regarding carbon footprints. I’m no expert, but studied this a bit in university. Perhaps I’ll do a post about it. In the mean time, I found this excellent article: https://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/ I hope you enjoy the soup, Christina. Fennel is just lovely in season!
This soup sounds like the perfect combination of delicious, healthy, and hearty! Such an excellent winter dish!
Thank you Luci!
When I was younger I was all about expensive, extravagant “stuff”, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized just how ridiculous all that is. I think personal loss and tragedy puts things in perspective for us as we age. Plus, we also come to understand who we are, and what we really “need” to make us happy. I know I am no longer the same person I was when I was younger, and I certainly look back at that girl and think “how nieve”!!! Anyways, I am drooling over this soup, Traci!!! It looks super hearty, yet light and I’m dying over the flavor! SO GOOD! Pinned! Cheers, my dear! May the season bring you much joy and happiness… And not a lot of “stuff”! ;) xoxo
Agreed, Chey. There’s so many experiences that can open our eyes as we age, if we allow it. You’d love this soup… thank you for pinning! xo
This is so delicious and warm my friend. You know fennel is one of my favorite green herb. Love adding it to curries, soups and stir frys. Will try this out, sounds simply delicious.
As to this post, I am in love. I completely agree with you. Since we didn’t grow up with this tradition, I came here and after the boys came, I tried this gifting thing. Same like you, I honestly felt so odd. Now it’s only handmade cookies, things that feel personal and only to the people that matter. I do not like stressing and the good thing, the boys don’t care for gifts, tree and the perfection. Nothing can beat time and quality time, every.
LOVE THIS POST!!!
hugs lovely!!
I’ve never tried fennel in curry, Ash… what a fabulous addition! I hope you enjoy it xo Oh my, then you saw these traditions from an entirely different angle. I’d love to chat more about this with you. I know your love of homemade cookies. Anyone who receives them is in for such a delight!
Thank you so much Dena, for your kind words and for following. I love the idea of simplicity during the holidays. I hope you enjoy the recipe too… and if you should get your hands on some mustard greens, omit the kale and enjoy those greens!
I wish I were sitting at your table, enjoying a bowl of this gorgeous soup and chatting about the things you share here. A few years ago Dom and I made a slight shift and began to share gifts that were experiential in nature, and we’ve never regretted it. And now that the kids are all adults, we’re basically doing the same for them. The tree looks nothing like it did when they were little – but the gifts now provide memories that will last forever. Looking forward to your Part II of this important conversation! Wish we lived closer, my friend! xo
And I would love that Annie! I love how you and Dom are enjoying the experiential rather than the tangible… I find it so more meaningful. I’m certain your kiddos are lovin it too. xo
I love this soup, such a perfect bowl of cozy and just what I’m craving! I so agree about feeling conflicted – I love all the *magic* of this time of year, and always try (unsuccessfully) not to get bogged down by the pressures and family expectations. Currently coping with all the cookies ;)
So true about the *magic…. from the snow to the lights and the cozy factor! All the good feels :D Can I help you cope with the cookies?
Beautiful post Traci…so meaningful! Love your warm comforting soup.xoxo
Hiiii Tasha! So nice to see you and thank you for your kind words xo
This was soo yummy! I added chorizo to it because my husband always needs extra to tie him over. We loved this.
Ohhh thank you so much for your note Stephanie! You’re fast! And you made it your own, to suit your husbands cravings! That’s what I looove about cooking!
I couldn’t agree more, Traci. We don’t do much in the way of “traditional” Christmas things anymore in my family. Mostly just cook a big meal and eat cookies and play cribbage. All the excess gifts and decorating just got to be too much. This soup looks amazing. You know I love me some fennel!
I love your non-traditional Christmas, Liz (sometimes I feel like a grench – but I’m okay with that now :D ). I love the idea of eating (all the cookies too) and games! What fun! I thought you’d like this soup… and I know you’re a fennel fanatic! xo
I’m with you on the needless amount of stuff that is given over the Holidays. I’ve been giving food gifts lately – a really good pot of honey or decadent dark chocolate. Or a good book is a great choice too. The holidays should be a time to spend with family to reconnect. Everyone’s lives are so crazy these days – we need to use the holiday to slow down and enjoy each other. As for this soup, it looks gorgeous – filling, nourishing and healthy! XO
Needless… that’s the point, Geraldine. SO much of it is needless. I looove foodie gifts – homemade that is – or like you said a really good pot of honey or dark chocolate. I gave my cousin a gift certificate to audible and she loves it! I think i’ll do it it again this year! I couldn’t agree more.. we go too much these days. For me, this time of year is like a breath of fresh air… to keep me sane for the rest of the year!
Traci, your post echo my sentiments and experiences so perfectly. And thank you for the lovely soup recipe. Kale is one of my favorite ingredients.
Hiiiii Marianne! :D I hope you and your’s enjoy the soup… I love kale too!
So happy you’ve found where you really want and need to be during the holiday season Traci. The holidays for me have always been mostly focused on spending time with family. Holiday cooking and baking and gifting food has always been at the top of my list. I guess when my boys were young there may have been a special toy I drove myself crazy to try to find for them, but those times were actually few and far between, lucky for me. We’ll all be heading to Florida this year to spend the holiday with my mother and two of my three sisters and their families! Both my boys can make it! YAY!!
This soup is my kind of winter meal! I love how you’ve packed it with awesome healthy ingredients, yet it’s nice and light to offset all the cookies and cakes of the holiday! Perfect with a buttered crusty bread and a glass of wine! (Tom will even eat this, if I fudge a bit and tell him the kale is spinach!)
I love reading this, Mary Ann! And how wonderful that you’ll be with your mother, sisters and BOYS! Hooray! That’s quite an effort to get everyone together…!! Ooooh… I always feel a bit of pressure where Tom’s involved (I’m giggling)… it’s like when I cook something for Rob, will he like it? If it passes the Rob or Tom test, I’m happy! So, yes, with buttered bread, wine and then a ton of your cookies – let’s DO this! xo
In my teens I was all about expensive, over the top gifts during the holidays and would save money all year just to get Christmas gifts I couldn’t afford. For the past several years I’ve been focusing on handmade gifts like breads and cookies, and later pottery, books, and jewellery. People spend a crazy amount of money on Christmas and so much of what’s purchased ends up going to waste – and most of the things have been produced in bad conditions in the first place. It’s a nasty cycle. As usual, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Time will always have more value than things.
I didn’t even mention the recipe! We have some fennel still in the garden, but I’m going to try my best to convince Graham to let me pull it up and make this soup! Some of my very favourite flavour combinations here, Traci.
Oh goodness… Alexandra. Sounds like we have a shared experience. And that’s exactly what I’ve come to cherish about this time of year. I love that my family and I are able to take some time off and be together.
I hope you ripped that fennel out of the garden and you and Graham enjoy this soup, Alexandra! xo