A hearty and healthy soup for a rainy day.  Makes 6-8 servings depending on the size of your bowl!

1 whole head of garlic (in tact)

2tbsp olive oil divided

3-4 chicken breasts (diced in 1 1/2 inch pieces)  -you can use dark meat bone in thighs for extra flavor if you’re not watching your waistline – sauté the bones as the chicken browns and the soup cooks and thickens removing them when the soup is done.

2 oz (approx 1/4 c.) diced Pancetta (you can use bacon if Pancetta is not available, or prosciutto for lower fat)

1 medium-large sweet onion, small dice

4 ribs celery, small dice

2 carrots, small dice

1 28 oz can cannelini beans

1 15 oz can cannelini beans

6 cups chicken stock or low salt broth

1 tbsp fresh sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh

Optional- 1 bunch of chopped kale

Salt and pepper

Parsley cheese to serve

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut the top off of the head of garlic about 1/3 of the way down to expose the top of the cloves. Put the clove and top on a sheet of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap up the garlic and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to one hr until the cloves are soft and buttery. 

In a heavy bottom pot. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Sauté chicken in a tbsp of olive oil to brown. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. In the same pot sauté the pancetta.  Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté until soft-tender. (6-7 mins).  Add the 28oz can of cannelini beans. Cook until heated through, scraping any brown bits off th bottom of the pot. Squeeze the cloves out of the garlic bulb and top into the pot and stir well mashing into the beans. Add the sage and thyme. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Using a blender or immersion blender, purée the soup. Careful it’s hot! Cook to let it thicken a bit. Add the remaining can of beans. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pot stir and bring to a boil. Cook until the chicken is cooked through. Optional –

About 5 minutes before you are ready to serve add the kale and cook til tender.  Serve with Parmesan and cracked pepper.