Creamy Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup (1 Pot!)

• 1 Tbsp olive oil (if oil-free, sub twice the amount of water)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced (1/2 large onion yields ~ 1 ½ cups or 170 g)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (2 carrots yield ~3/4 cup or 100 g)
• 2 large stalks celery, diced (2 stalks celery yield ~1 ¼ cup or 150 g)
• 3/4 tsp sea salt (DIVIDED // plus more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (DIVIDED)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (4 cloves yield ~2 Tbsp or 18 g)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 Tbsp freshly chopped rosemary or thyme (or sub 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 3 cups vegetable broth (or store-bought)
• 2 (15-oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (we prefer cannellini // or ~3 ½ cups cooked homemade beans)
• 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped kale leaves (or sub baby spinach)
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (or sub cashew cream)

FOR SERVING optional

• Vegan Parmesan Cheese
• fresh basil
• croutons (find our recipe for homemade here)