Selma loves soup, and I find it a great way to sneak in healthy things that kids aren’t always excited about eating like beans and greens. We get a wonderful box of produce each week from a CSA farm in Washington State. The box is heavy on the fruit, which is great, I don’t have to work hard to get the kids to eat everything up. This week, Selma requested beets in the box, and they came with big beautiful greens attached. (So did the carrots, actually, but after a little research, I decided they weren’t worth cooking–anyone feel otherwise?). I didn’t want to waste the beet greens, so I made a bisque to make use of them and to warm us up in what continues to be a very rainy September.
The soup turned out to be a big hit (except with Jay–I haven’t convinced him to like soup yet), so I thought I’d share the recipe.
Beans and Greens Bisque
Beet greens, when raw, have a bit of a bitter flavor, but in this soup they seem to add depth and a piquant edge to what would otherwise be a pretty standard bean soup.
2 T olive oil
1 med onion, diced
2 c carrots, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 T thyme
1 t oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cube veg bullion
4 c water
2 cans white beans, drained
1 big bunch beet greens
1 T brown rice vinegar
salt
pepper
Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add carrots and garlic. Add mushrooms, thyme and oregano. When mushrooms are soft, add bullion and water. Bring to a simmer. Add beet greens and white beans. When the carrots and greens are tender, purée the soup. (I use an immersion blender to avoid pouring hot soup into a food processor). Add vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.