White Bean & Kale Minestrone

+ Seed-saving preschoolers

I had frozen chicken stock. I had a half-bunch of kale wilting in the fridge. I had some old potatoes. I had white beans in the cupboard (of course). I had a big wedge of Pecorino. "I think I'll make some soup tomorrow!" I proclaimed. I was waiting to hear whining and tortured moans from my family. But my older daughter said, "I was just thinking about soup. That sounds good." I was shocked into silence.

I'm not sure what actually defines minestrone soup, but to me it's a thick, slightly tomatoey, soup comprised of beans, vegetables, maybe pasta or potatoes, and LOTS of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese grated on top. The cheese is what makes it for me, but I'm a cheese freak.

I put the beans in the slow cooker in the morning and the frozen stock in the fridge to defrost, and when I got home from work, it took less than 30 minutes to put it all together. It was strangely satisfying on a hot summer evening.

White Bean & Kale Minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1/2 onion or leek, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 to 6 cups broth, preferably homemade

3 to 4 baby potatoes, cubed

2 cups cooked beans such as Rancho Gordo Marcella or Cranberry Beans

1 cup cooked pasta (optional)

1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into thin ribbons (and/or any other chopped vegetables you have in your fridge)

Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese for garnish

Fresh basil for garnish

Serves 4

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the celery and onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for another couple of minutes until well combined. Add the broth and potatoes, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Add the beans, pasta (if using), kale and/or other vegetables, and more broth if needed, and cook until the vegetables are done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, garnished with grated cheese and fresh basil.

My daughter came home from preschool with a bag of pea seeds. They had harvested the seeds from their garden, then dried them. I am such a nerd but I'm so excited to plant these with Quinn next year and watch them grow, then save some of those seeds.

Even though I work for a company that is based on seed-saving (heirloom beans are also seeds...), I haven't really gotten into seed-saving at home. Maybe this little bag with 5 seeds in it will inspire me!

Did you know there is a global seed vault in the North Pole that has the capacity to store 4.5 million varieties of crops, for a maximum of 2.5 billion seeds? It makes me feel better knowing that someone is thinking ahead and recognizing that future generations may need a backup plan for food diversity and security. Hopefully global warming won't melt away the permafrost that's keeping these seeds frozen and safe for my great-great-grandchildren who may be surviving off of bland, futuristic protein cakes.