soyrizo, white bean and kale soup

on saturday night, we attended a housewarming party for our friends, tyler and julia. i may have had one too many glasses of wine, but it was a hilarious and wonderful night with lots of singing and laughing. the next morning, however, was not hilarious or wonderful at all. there was no singing or laughter, just me begging drew to make coffee and feed me aspirin...

all i wanted was comfort food, so i whipped up one of my favorite dishes from my childhood: my dad's portuguese kale soup, or caldo verde. this soup consists of a spicy broth with garlic, herbs, kale and... chorizo. the chorizo adds incredible flavor to the soup, but alas, i don't eat meat. enter trader joe's soyrizo: same spices, same flavors, no animal slaughter involved.

my version of his soup is comforting, delicious and healthy (and cures hangovers). you can't even tell that it's vegetarian. in fact, when i go home for christmas, i'm going to make this for dad and i guarantee that he won't notice the difference (don't worry, he doesn't read the blog, he's technologically challenged). 

soyrizo, white bean and kale soup

1 qt. mushroom broth
2 cans white beans, drained + rinsed
1 bunch kale, stems removed + chopped
1 package of soyrizo
1 yellow onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

in a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. add the onion, soyrizo, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. then add the beans, kale, rosemary and broth, cover and bring to a boil. once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until the kale is tender. i mashed the beans with a potato masher to give the soup a chunky and creamy texture, but that's optional. serve with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and wait for its magical healing powers to kick in so you can get your hungover self off the couch.