I make it a point to have some version of healthy soup in my freezer at all times. I try to pack it full of various vegetables and legumes and always use my own homemade chicken stock as the base. You never know when you’re going to wake up with a terrible cold (or hangover….) and you can barely muster up the energy to walk to the kitchen. The nutrients in this soup are guaranteed to make you feel better, whatever your ailment, and studies show that it might even work to prevent hangovers if consumed under the influence the night before 🙂

As with pretty much all of these recipes you can mix it up as you please. A standard soup starts with a mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) so I suggest you start there and add what you like on top of that. I love chunks of carrots so I always keep those larger than the celery and onion. I had half of a red bell pepper in my fridge that I wanted to use up so it’s included in this recipe but I hadn’t added peppers before. It was good! The green veggies should be added in later to keep them green and al dente (soggy broccoli is not yummy). Blanching the broccoli first will keep the color the best but if you don’t have time you can add them straight into the pot. The spices in this recipe are similar to what you would use for a chili recipe so it produces a deep, rich, spicy flavor. The addition of tomato paste and dark beer also adds to the likeness to chili. You won’t even miss the ground beef!

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup dried beans (I buy Rancho Gordo and mix it up with different shapes, sizes, and colors. Have fun!), soaked for 10 hours or overnight
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube (if you don’t have this on hand just omit and make sure to salt the water liberally and throw in some veggies with the beans) 
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• Half of a red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp red chili flake
• 1 tsp paprika (hot or sweet)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 cup of dark beer (I like porter or brown ale)
• 1 bunch of red chard or any dark leafy green, roughly chopped
• 1 crown of broccoli, chopped into florets and blanched
• 6-8 cups of chicken stock (homemade!!!)

Directions:

• Drain beans from soaking water and place in large pot (I use a pasta pot for easy draining later). Cover completely with water and add bouillon cube or fresh veggies. Bring water to a boil and simmer until tender. The time will vary depending on the size of the beans so just read the package and check on them a few times. They’ll cook more later in the soup but they should be at al dente.
• In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
• Add spices and tomato paste and cook for a minute (this takes the rawness out of the ingredients). Add the beer and deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Simmer until the alcohol is cooked out and the beer and spices glaze the veggies.
• Add the chard and cook until it starts to wilt. Add in the broccoli, cooked beans, and chicken stock and stir to combine. Simmer on low for an hour to let the flavors meld together. Check for seasonings at the end, you’ll most likely need to add some more salt depending on how you like it.
• Serve with some grated parmesan on top or chopped herbs. Freeze leftovers in single serving tupperware for an instant remedy 🙂

TIPS:

• Blanching broccoli: add florets to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook for a minute. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and immediately plunge into an ice bath. The broccoli will remain a vibrant green and the nutrients are locked in.
• When choosing leafy greens for the soup avoid spinach or anything that quickly wilts/breaks down. You’ll end up with spinach mush. I like to use a green with a fibrous, firm stem so that it holds together throughout the cooking.