12 Bean Soup with Barley, Meat Balls and Sautéed Kale

With a side of homemade no-knead - standard version - bread was for dinner. I sometimes also call it the Eat Your Veggies Soup :).

Last night I used an onion, a couple of carrots and sautee them in olive oil with a pinch of salt (first the onions, and when they are soft I added the carrots and sautéed until they turned bright orange in color). Then I added the beans & barley - both soaked overnight - a small can of diced tomatoes, and a quart of vegetable broth. I fried up the meatballs separately and added them to the soup. Finally I sautéed and topped the soup with it.