If you enjoy soup like I do,

I think you will really enjoy this one. With rich flavor and tender vegetables, this is a smooth and light soup that can simmer away on the stove or slow cooker on a cool day – and the broth!

My fit friend Lisa gave me a bunch of button and portobello mushrooms fresh from her family’s farm and I thought I’d try some comfort food. That week at the market they had some great looking kale, too, so this soup came together pretty quickly. My only “struggle” was at the end; I couldn’t decide between wild rice or soba noodles. You’ll have to read on to see my choice!

The start of a good soup

is the broth, in my opinion. I made my soup on the weekend as part of my weekly food prep, knowing I wasn’t going to serve it until later in the week. (Which proved very difficult on my willpower; it smelled SO GOOD!)

NOTE:I knew I wanted to make my own broth, so I just added everything to my large slow cooker and let it simmer away all day. The day we had it for dinner I just put in a large pot on the stove, brought to a boil, added the rice, and simmered for 45 min. If I was going to do this all in one day I don’t know that I’d use my slow cooker. If I wasn’t making my own broth I probably would also just use the stove. ** Stove cooking will affect the cook time; be sure your veggies, particularly the kale, are tender!

And we’re off!

8 c. beef broth OR 8 c. water and 2 nice, meaty beef shanks

1/2 c. red wine

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1 carrot, finely sliced

3 portobello mushrooms, sliced into bites

1-2 c. button mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. salt

pepper

Add all this to your cooker or soup pot and cook away until those veggies are nice and tender. About 1 hour before serving add:

1/3 c. wild rice, orzo, farro OR 1 sleeve soba noodles

Remove beef shanks, separate meat from bones and discard bones. Chop meat into bites and return to pot.

Bring to a quick boil, then simmer until all is cooked.

As always, I hope you enjoy!