In a soup pot, add olive oil and onions, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring. When the onions are soft, add garlic, and saute another 2 minutes.

Rinse the canned beans well. Add beans, stock, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and other herbs, and stir gently. The broth should just barely cover the beans. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

While the cassoulet is cooking, make the pesto: Put the kale, cilantro, and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until it is chopped but not soupy. Add the rest of the ingredients: lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, water, salt, and the pine nuts. Pulse until it’s well combined but not too smooth. You want pesto, not soup. Use a spatula to scrape off the sides, and pulse briefly one more time. Set aside.

When the cassoulet is ready, you should ladle out some of the broth if there’s too much. It should be mostly beans, with only a bit of broth. Stir in the pesto, gently turning it until it’s well mixed. The cassoulet should have the consistency of stew, rather than soup. Continue to simmer on your lowest heat setting for another 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together.

Add salt and pepper as needed for flavor. This dish should be quite lemony, and salty as well. Top with croutons, sprouts, sliced avocado, a poached egg, or some cheese, depending on your tastes. It pairs well with a white wine, and a hearty, crusty bread.

You can also use dry beans. Just soak them for 12 to 24 hours beforehand, and then boil them in fresh water until the skins split when you blow on them. Then continue as with the canned beans. You can also make this with chicken broth if you want, and top it with meat if that's your thing.