Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 9 ounces lean, trimmed, center-cut bacon (cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips)
- 1 onion (cut into 1/2-inch dice, about 2 cups)
- 3 carrots (peeled, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced, about 2/3 cup)
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed) or 4 cups cooked white beans
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (preferably low-sodium)
- 12 ounces of kale (stems discarded and leaves cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide ribbons or torn into bite-size pieces, about 8 cups packed)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Scallions as garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and the broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to the start of a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the kale and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the celery leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped scallions as a garnish if desired. Serve hot.