Kale and White Bean Soup

A friend of mine mentioned that she made this the other day and I thought I'd give it a try. I bought all the ingredients from the grocery store based on what I thought would go in this. When I got home I googled the recipe. I was a little off, but my version came out pretty good! 

I used 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 cloves garlic, chopped (recipe called for 4). I also used 1 small onion, chopped (recipe called for large). That's it. The recipe online suggested adding 2 stalks celery, sliced as well. I didn't have this in mine, but it was fine. Directions: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, celery, onion, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

My next steps vary a bit. The recipe says to add canned beans to the soup with the kale. I didn't do that. It also says to use water and I didn't do that either. First, I added chicken stock. 3 cans worth and then 1/2 a quart of water. Then I added 1 bunch kale, thick stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (8 cups). I let that cook for a few minutes. I spiced it up with a hint of crushed red pepper flakes. Then I added 1 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed. I also added 1 cup whole wheat penne. I didn't add any rosemary (which the recipe called for), but I did add a teaspoon of sea salt with truffle. Oh, I also found out you could add a Parmesan rind to this while it's boiling. What? I WILL do that next time!

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta and kale are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the Parmesan rind (if using). Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice (didn't do) and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan (also didn't do) before serving.