Gorgeous Rustic Slow Cooker White Bean and Kale Stew with Chicken Meatballs and Herb Pistou: Assemble in 5 Minutes, Ready in Two Hours

This is my favorite slow-cooker soup of all time and so simple to make! You can literally throw together the ingredients in five minutes, turn on your slow cooker, and come home to a delicious rustic stew that your entire family will love.

Ingredients:

3 carrots quartered and diced

1 shallot or small onion diced

1 small bunch lacinato kale chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 or 3 cloves of garlic - finely diced

2 bay leaves

1 rind of parmesan cheese

2 or 3 15oz cans of canelini or navy white beans drained and rinced

grating of fresh nutmeg to taste

1 package of your favorite pre-made chicken meatballs or  if you want a spicier soup: take 1/2 pound of fresh chorizo ground pork, form into little meatballs and add them to the soup...they will cook with everything else.

Two quarts of low sodium chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of cream or half-and-half to finish

pesto (homemade or jarred) to garnish soup

Here's my quick food processor version...Pistou/Pesto:
1 bunch basil
1 handful walnuts
1 clove garlic
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all but the last two ingredients in your slow cooker. Turn on low and let cook for 4-6 hours, or on high for two hours. 

2. At the end of the cooking, you can give some of the beans a mash with a potato masher or emersion blender to give the soup more body. Then, add in cream before serving. Garnish each bowl of soup with a dollop of pesto and serve with crusty bread.

3. Enjoy!