Easy Tuscan Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, thickly sliced
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 cans cannellini beans or other small white beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 4 cups baby kale or baby spinach, stems removed if tough
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, for garnish
• Olive oil, to serve
• Extra grated Parmesan, to serve
• 1/2 baguette, thinly sliced
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a soup pot. Once it’s hot, add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, fresh oregano sprigs, salt, and pepper. Let everything cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are starting to look translucent.
2. Put 1/2 cup of the beans on a plate and mash them with a fork or potato masher. Scrape the mashed beans into the pot with the vegetables, then cook for 2 minutes, stirring as they warm through.
3. Add the remaining beans to the pot and give everything a good stir. Pour in the chicken stock, bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down. Set the lid on partly askew and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the broth tastes full and flavorful.
4. Pull out and discard the oregano sprigs; the leaves should have slipped off into the soup by now. Taste, then add more salt and pepper if you want it.
5. While the soup is simmering, make the Parmesan toasts. Toast the bread until both sides are lightly golden. While the slices are still hot, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle on the cheese. If you’re using a toaster oven, put them back in for 1 minute so the cheese can melt; if not, place the toasts in a skillet over medium heat, cover the pan, and warm them for about 1 minute, until the cheese is melted.
6. Add the kale or spinach to the soup and let it simmer for another 2 minutes, just long enough for the greens to wilt.
7. Spoon the soup into bowls, finish with oregano and a little more olive oil if you like, and serve it with the Parmesan toasts and extra Parmesan for sprinkling.