Whew!  Yet another whirl wind weekend has come and gone.  Aside from the rain on Saturday, it was a beautiful weekend in Atlanta!  This Hungry Southern Belle has another 5k under her belt having completed the Atlanta Track Clubs Women 5k.  What a fantastic event!  Weekends like this deserve an easy, healthy and satisfying dinner that can also last into the week with leftovers.  For those of you fans that love “one pot” dishes, this one is for you!  (and for my vegetarians and vegans out there, you can easily omit the meat and use veggie broth instead…)  Enjoy y’all!!!

(Recipe courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Curtiss and Barre3)

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. dried navy beans (or other dried white beans like cannellini), soaked overnight, then drained
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 lb. red potatoes, peeled and quartered (or cut into 2-3″ pieces if your potatoes are large)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large carrots, chopped
64 oz. chicken broth or vegetable broth
32 oz. water
1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 bunch fresh oregano
2 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped very fine
1/2 tsp. white pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
salt to taste (at least 1 Tbs.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sort the dry beans in a pot and remove any rocks, dirt, or bad beans. Cover with water (1 inch over the top) and soak for about 8 hours (longer is OK too).
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a stockpot or Dutch oven for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add chopped onions and carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add garlic, four sprigs of fresh oregano (with the stems), bay leaves, ground turkey, and chicken, breaking up the meat into small chunks while cooking for 5 minutes.
4. Raise the heat to high, add chicken broth, water, and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and boil for 15 minutes.
5. Remove pot from the heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher to thicken the broth.
6. Return the pot to the heat and add the white beans. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 2 hours until the beans are soft. Add more water if the broth gets too thick. Don’t overcook the beans or they will turn mushy.
7. Remove the bay leaves and oregano stems. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the kale and cook for 10 more minutes until it darkens. Add the parsley just before serving.