I love KALE! I make deliciously kale baked chips, add in my smoothies, or make beef and rice rolls; much like cabbage rolls, etc.

Needless to say, vegetarian kale soup is a “must” in my family especially around this time of the year. Well, to be honest, I do make it all year round because I crave it! I know it sounds shocking, but it is true.

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Sometimes I would add smoked sausages, sometimes smoked meat/bones/ribs, but most of the time I make this hearty, earthy vegetarian version.

It is also very simple and light recipe, inexpensive, especially if you are on a tight budget, and guess what even though, Kale is all year round vegetable, it is actually in season during the winter time.

Eat more Kale now, because it is great for your body and mind, raw or cooked; in juices, salads, soups, and stews, etc.

The way I make my vegetarian kale soup may sound more like a stew, because of all the ingredients that I am using in the recipe, but that is why it is so rich in flavor.

Kale soup is done in less than 30 minutes and it tastes absolutely amazing. Last week I made it pretty early, because I am volunteering for a few hours in my boy’s elementary school, so to save the time I made it earlier before I left my house.

With that being said, I ate it at 9 am. Yep! It was a cold morning and it felt so good to eat it right away when it was piping hot.

I hope you try this winter season. If you are a kale lover, then I am sure that you will love this recipe. Please, tag me on Instagram @sandraseasycooking if you make this recipe or any other from my blog. Thank you!

YOU MIGHT LIKE BACON AND KALE SOUP

Yield: Serves 4

Vegetarian Kale Soup

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Vegetarian Kale Soup Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Celery Rib, sliced
• 1 large Carrot sliced
• 4 potatoes medium size, peeled and cubed
• 3 Cups Fresh Kale roughly chopped
• 4 Cups Vegetable broth (read notes)
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Vegetable Bouillon Cube, preferably Organic
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, put oil with chopped onion and garlic; cook for a few minutes, stirring then add sliced carrot.

2. Peel and cube or quarter potatoes and add to the pot, stir, then add washed and chopped Kale.

3. Pour vegetable stock, water, add bouillon, season with salt and black pepper to taste, stir, cover and cook on medium high heat until potatoes are tender, and not falling apart, about 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Serve hot, or once it's cooled to room temperature pour into the fridge, safe container with a lid. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, but it is absolutely the best of it is eaten the same day.

Notes

Yes, you can add other vegetables! I recommend being up to 48 hr in the fridge because I never had this dish longer than 2 days, so I am sticking to what I know accorded by my own taste experience. It is true that it always tastes better when eaten right away.

Yes, you can use frozen Kale, even fresh or frozen Spinach and/or Collard greens is working very well with this recipe.

You can replace vegetable broth with just a water or chicken stock if you are not vegetarian. So, instead of adding 4 cups of vegetable broth you would add 4 cups of water or chicken/beef broth. Same goes for the Bouillon. You can add any that you have on hand.

Also, if I am adding only water and there is no broth of any kind for my soup, I like to add 2 Bouillon cubes and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Add smoked sausage or smoked neck bone would work wonders for this dish. (Link in this post is not paid link, I just want to show you visually what product I am referring)

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Ah! PASTA! Again? Yes, my friends, it is pasta again.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is one of my ultimate favorite pasta dishes.

It is a classic. It is also delicious and, of course, very simple. For me personally, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is not only about a load of garlic infused in sizzling olive oil topped with freshly minced parsley. It is about the timing when you serve this pasta.

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It should be al dente and the best one is when you cook it, then drop in that hot garlic oil to the starchy pasta water and toss a bit.

Put it on the plate and let it cool down for a little bit, oh boy…that is the perfect pasta. Wipe your mouth, you are drooling! OK! Let us continue…

I have practiced and practiced until it was perfect, so let me give you my favorite pasta recipe. I hope you try it and enjoy every single bite as much as my Hubster and I have been enjoying it for a long time.

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Yield: 4 SERVINGS

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

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Simple and tasty recipe for Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 ounces/1 pound Dry Pasta
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Salt for water + 1/2 teaspoon for pasta
• 5 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Dry parsley

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt, then drop the pasta in the pot. Cook according to the directions on the package, cooked but still to have a bite to it. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a larger pot. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or two and do not burn. Stir frequently, until it just begins to turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 10-20 seconds more. Carefully add the reserved pasta water to the garlic and oil and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced.
3. Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss.
4. Take it off the heat, add the parsley, black pepper, and dry parsley and toss very well. Allow the pasta to rest covered off the heat for 3-5 minutes, so the pasta could absorb the sauce.
5. Taste if you need more salt, toss if you do add extra seasoning and serve warm, not hot!

Notes

Dry parsley brings even more flavor and aroma to the pasta. So I've added 1/2 tsp because I really liked it. However, it's optional.

You could add Parmigiano cheese, but I feel that any case just do not go well with pasta like this, but it is up to your preferences. 

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I do not know how I missed sharing this dish. We love spinach in garlic infused olive oil and mixed with delicious couscous pasta pearls.

However, I usually and most commonly use spaghetti. Not only that it’s a delicious, fragrant and beautiful but extremely simple and efficient recipe.

My goal is always to keep it as simple as possible and to have both comforts and healthy to kind of balance each other. 
Most of the time I serve this with fish or chicken, but It does go very well with meatballs, too.

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You cannot really go wrong with this one. Saute with spinach or serve it separately, perhaps adding more veggies or kale instead of spinach.

It is most definitely a perfect meal for meatless Mondays. You can, of course, serve some protein with it, but it is tasty just the way it is.

Yield: Serves 4

Couscous with Spinach

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Easy and delicious meatless dinner.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups Couscous pearl pasta
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 10 oz Spinach
• 3-4 Basil leaves, fresh
• 1 Tbs. Olive Oil or butter
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. Dried Italian Herbs(mix)
• Sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Boil water with salt and butter for couscous. Cook as directed on the package. It's more steaming after water boils so follow directions. 
2. Boil water for Spinach and blanch for a minute or two; drain, put it under cold water and then try to remove liquid by squeezing it out of the spinach. If you use frozen defrost completely and squeeze any water out. 
3. In sauté pan add olive oil or butter, minced garlic, then add blanched/defrosted spinach, dried Italian herbs, few pinches of salt to taste, stir-fry for few minutes. Stir and try to break spinach while sautéing.
4. Drain couscous and add it with the sautéed spinach, break basil leaves and add in the pan; You can add more butter. *Also, you can serve it separately from spinach just by draining couscous and adding little garlic powder and butter on top in the pan with the couscous. Stir and serve with spinach on the side. 
5. Serve Hot and immediately.

Notes

You can add cooked chicken cubes or any other protein. 

You can use any type of pasta!

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