Cook onion and garlic: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook, stirring often, until garlic is lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Cook kale: Add kale; cook, stirring occasionally, until kale starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Add broth: Stir in vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high; reduce heat to low.

Simmer soup: Cover and simmer, undisturbed, until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add bread: Stir in bread, lemon juice, and salt.

Blend soup: Working in 2 batches, ladle mixture into a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth, about 1 minute per batch. Transfer pureed soup to pot, and bring to a simmer over medium-low.

Add half-and-half and cheese: Stir in half-and-half and Parmesan. Season with additional salt to taste.

Garnish and serve: Garnish with Kale Chips, and serve. Spicy Kale Chips Toss together 8 cups curly kale leaves (from 1 stemmed and torn bunch) with 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and crushed red pepper in a large bowl. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake at 300°F until just crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. grated lemon zest . Return to oven, and bake at 300°F until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. ACTIVE 10 MIN. - TOTAL 35 MIN. - SERVES 6