Orange-Thyme Bean Soup

Prepare the orange:
1 Use a vegetable peeler to peel off two strips of rind from the orange, about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Halve the orange and juice it into a bowl. You should have 2 to 3 ounces of orange juice.
Sauté the aromatics:
3 Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper.
Brown the tomato paste:
5 Add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir to coat the vegetables in the paste and cook for 1 minute until the paste deepens in color.
Simmer the soup:
7 Add beans and 4 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the orange juice, the orange peels, and the thyme sprigs. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. After simmering, taste and season with salt and pepper. Discard the thyme sprigs and orange peels.
Cook the kale:
9 Add the chopped kale and minced parsley to the soup and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and season.
To serve:
11 Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved parsley. Serve with crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!