Servings: 4
Calories: 605kcal
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp chilli flakes optional
- 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 100 g orzo
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 150 ml double cream
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
For the kale pesto
- 80 g kale stalks removed
- 30 g Parmesan finely grated
- 30 g toasted pine nuts or almonds
- 1 small garlic clove
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 100 ml olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Soften the base
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery with a pinch of salt, then cook gently for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet but not coloured.
Build the flavour
- Add the garlic, oregano and chilli flakes, if using. Stir and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the beans and stock
- Add the cannellini beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for around 10 minutes.
Blend for creaminess
- Ladle one-third of the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pan and stir through.
Cook the orzo
- Stir in the orzo and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until just tender. Add a splash more stock or water if the soup thickens too much.
Finish the soup
- Lower the heat and stir in the double cream and lemon zest. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
Blanch the kale
- Blanch the kale in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and squeeze dry.
- Make the kale pesto
- Blitz the kale with the Parmesan, pine nuts or almonds, garlic and lemon juice. Drizzle in the olive oil until spoonable, then season to taste.
- Serve
- Ladle the soup into bowls and finish each one with a spoonful of kale pesto. Serve hot, warm or gently cooled.
Notes
Hey Lolly's Top Tips
- This soup thickens as it sits, especially once the orzo has had time to absorb the broth. Loosen it with a splash of stock or water when reheating.
- Don’t overdo the cream. The beans already bring softness, so the cream is there to round things off rather than take over.
- Spoon the pesto over the soup rather than stirring it through completely, so you get little pockets of lemony, nutty brightness.
- Almonds work well if pine nuts aren’t to hand. Toast them first if you can.
- For a dairy-free version, swap the double cream for oat cream and omit the Parmesan or use a dairy-free alternative.
- It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days and is lovely hot, warm or gently cooled.
Nutrition
Calories: 605kcal
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