This recipe uses no salt-added canned cannellini beans, but if you prefer to cook dried beans, start there. Two 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans yield 3 cups of cooked beans. If using canned beans, drain, rinse and set aside.

Preheat a medium-large (3-quart) pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and dry saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions start to brown.

Add chopped carrot, garlic, thyme, low-sodium vegetable broth, and cooked cannellini beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Using either an immersion blender or regular blender with a vented lid, carefully blend the soup mixture until smooth and creamy. If you like it more on the chunky side, just blend half of the mixture. After blending, return it to the pot, and reheat the soup mixture over medium heat.

When the soup starts to bubble, stir in miso paste and nutritional yeast if using. Add finely chopped kale and give it a good stir. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Kale should be slightly tender and bright green. Remove from heat, salt, and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

This recipe makes 2 big bowls or 4 smaller bowls.