Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Kale & White Bean Chicken Soup

Photo taken from Realsimple.com

I had this one on the menu a few weeks back and never got around to making it.  I whipped up a pot before church on Sunday and we enjoyed it to unwind our weekend and get ready for the week.  It feels like soup season is nearing an end here in Texas, but if you are still enjoying some chilly weather, give this one a shot! 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced or if you don't have that available you can use the kale stems for crunch
1 large onion, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
1 32 oz container of chicken broth
4 C water
2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed  (Can also use Northern)
1 cup small soup pasta, such as tubettini, ditalini, or orzo (4 ounces)  - I used spiral whole wheat pasta
1 bunch kale, thick stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (8 cups)
2.5 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (2 ounces), plus 1 piece rind (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Chicken Breasts

Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic, celery (or chopped stalk), onion, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the beans, pasta, kale, rosemary, 4 cups of broth and 4 cups water, and Parmesan rind.  Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta and kale are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
Cook chicken (I boiled mine) and chop into bite sized pieces.
Remove the Parmesan rind. Stir in the chicken, lemon juice and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan before serving. Serve with bread.

**Inspired, Modified & Adapted from Real Simple