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I made this with a little turkey stock made from boiling the Thanksgiving leftovers, but you could use chicken or vegetable stock instead.
Chop fine, then saute in extra virgin olive oil: one medium onion, two carrots, a few celery ribs (including leafy tops), and about a cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley.
(Or do what I do: chop coarsely, saute, then process in Cuisinart briefly until fine, but not too fine.)
Add a quart of stock or water and a half-pound of white beans (cannelini for authenticity, but any white bean will do) that you've soaked overnight and drained. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are tender, about an hour.
While the beans are cooking, peel and chop into half-inch dice 4-5 medium potatoes (I like the waxy, white-skinned variety for this, but Russets work, too...they just break down a little faster). When the beans are tender, add the spuds to the simmering soup.
Taste the stock, and season with salt, pepper, and maybe a little thyme or rosemary, but don't overdo the herbs. You want the flavor to come from the aromatics that you sauteed first (in Italian, the soffritto).
When the potatoes are cooked, add 3-4 leaves of well-washed chopped kale (greens should be soaked to remove dirt that may be clinging to the leaves). Let it cook for another 15 minutes or so and you're ready to eat (although soup always tastes better the second day after it's cooled and the flavors have blended).
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over each bowl and pass fresh grated Parmigiano. Eat with simple bruschetta (crusty Italian bread, toasted, rubbed with fresh garlic, and drizzled with oil).