It’s cold outside, and that means it’s the perfect weather for a warm bowl of soup. Try The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond’s recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp. Ree writes:

I’m Pioneer Woman. And I’m obsessed with soup. This delicious take on the simple, classic Tuscan Bean Soup has a nice tangy tomato edge and plenty of chunky wonderfulness…with just a hint of sass. Just kidding about the sass part; I just felt like throwing it in. The soup also contains kale, which happens to be my boyfriend right now. I think my body must have been suffering from a gnarly Vitamin K and beta carotene deficiency, as the way I’ve been inhaling kale over the past few months is somewhat shocking. But I love the way it cooks: it wilts, yes, but unlike spinach, it really holds its own in soups and stews (or even just sauteed in a pan.) I absolutely love it in this soup.

I added sauteed shrimp to the top of the finished soup, which might be a bit weird. Cooked, sliced Italian sausage or even strips of grilled chicken would probably make more sense. But being weird just isn’t something I wake up fearing on any given day, and it really did turn out to be a yummy bowl of soup.

Ingredients

• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cans (14.5 Ounce) Cans Great Norther Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
• 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
• 3/4 cups Dry White Wine
• 1 can (28 Ounces) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes
• 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 bunch Kale (more If Desired)
• Plenty Of Torn Fresh Basil
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-1/2 pound Raw Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Fresh Parmesan Shavings

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to cook about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano; stir and cook for another 30 seconds.

Pour in wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half.

Add canned tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot. Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.

While the soup is simmering, cook the shrimp: melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high (or high) heat. Throw in the shrimp and chopped parsley and toss to cook until no longer opaque, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.

Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir into soup. (It'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!) Add a bunch of torn basil and stir. Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.

Transfer soup to a large serving bowl and top with the shrimp, or ladle into individual bowls and top with 3 or 4 shrimp.

Add big, fat Parmesan or Romano shavings and more torn basil at the end. Utterly divine!