Green Pasta Soup

This is a great hearty vegetarian soup. This soup is probably more suited for wintertime, but I couldn't resist the gorgeous greens at the market today. The recipe calls for a Parmigiano Reggiano rind. It's quite important to the overall flavor of the soup, so, hopefully, you can find it at your market.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 organic carrots, chopped
10 cups water
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
½ pound dried bow-tie (farfalle) pasta (Barilla Plus makes this now)
1 3-inch Parmigiano Reggiano rind
2 handfuls spinach, torn

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring often, until caramelized (15 minutes). Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is released (about 5 minutes). Add carrots and water and bring to a boil.

Stir in kale, pasta, and Parmigiano Reggiano rind, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until greens and pasta are tender (15 minutes). Stir in spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Remove and discard bay leaf and rind from soup then ladle into bowls, garnish with grated cheese, a sprinkle of garlic powder and black pepper, and serve.