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A close-up of a steaming bowl of hearty kale and bean soup, a modern twist on traditional soups, garnished with a lemon slice.

Hearty Grain and Kale Soup

This soup combines the comfort of traditional barley soup with the freshness of kale and a hint of smoky chipotle. It's a nourishing and flavorful meal that's perfect for any day.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Grain Cooking Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 bowls
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soup
  • 1 cup barley or other whole grain like quinoa, farro, spelt, wheat berries, or brown rice
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked paprika
  • 6 cups vegetable broth or 1.4 L
  • 1 can Romano beans optional, drained and rinsed
  • 10 oz kale stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • lemon wedges for serving

Equipment

  • Medium pot
  • soup pot

Method
 

  1. If cooking grains separately: Rinse the grains. Place grains and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium pot. Cover generously with water (use 2.5 cups of water per 1 cup of barley; if adding cooked barley to soup later, use only 2 cups of water). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until grains are tender (barley takes 40-50 minutes; quinoa takes 15 minutes). Drain and set aside.
  2. If cooking grains in the soup: Proceed with the recipe and add the grains after you add the broth.
  3. Prepare the greens: Remove stems from kale leaves. Finely chop the stems and thinly slice the leaves. Keep stems and leaves separate. If using greens without thick stems, simply slice the leaves into ribbons.
  4. Chop the onion into bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic.
  5. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until it begins to look translucent. Add the kale stems and cook, stirring often, until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chipotle powder (or smoked paprika) and stir to combine.
  6. Add the vegetable broth and the grains (if cooking grains in the soup, add an additional 2 cups of water to the pot). Once the grains are cooked, add the kale leaves. Stir to combine and cook until the leaves are wilted and tender, about 10 minutes for kale.
  7. Season the soup with salt to taste. Serve warm with a lemon wedge and freshly ground pepper.

Notes

This soup is versatile. Feel free to use different types of grains or beans. Adjust the amount of chipotle powder to your spice preference.

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