This brothy white bean and kale soup is a light, flavorful, and comforting soup that's perfect for any time of year! With creamy cannellini beans, tuscan kale, and lots of fresh herbs it's super simple and delicious!
Bonus: Not only is this kale white bean soup naturally vegan and gluten-free, but this soup also has 13 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber for a healthy meal that will keep you full!
If you love a cozy winter soup you might also like this traditional French onion soup or my spicy chicken noodle soup!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make this light white bean and kale soup!
Cannellini Beans - My favorite white beans to use in this soup are cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans) because they hold their shape when cooked and have a super creamy flavor. The second best option are great northern beans!
Shallot - The mild flavor of shallots are perfect for this light white bean soup. But you could also use a small yellow onion instead.
Vegetable Stock - I always use homemade vegetable stock because that's what I have on hand. But you can also use store-bought vegetable stock or chicken stock! Just note, if using store-bought stock you may need to reduce the salt content of the soup.
White Wine - This is completely optional, I just love the extra flavor it adds to the broth.
Kale - I love using fresh kale in this soup because it's so hearty! But you can leave it out or substitute spinach. I prefer to use lacinato kale (also known as dino kale or Tuscan kale) but curly kale works well too.
Fresh Herbs - Using fresh herbs is always more flavorful, and they give this dish some beautiful brightness!
Variations
Blend for extra creaminess! For an extra creamy soup, blend about ⅓ of the soup before adding in the kale.
Add Italian sausage! If you want to add some more protein to the soup, you can add in about 1 pound of cooked Italian sausage. Shredded chicken would also be a good addition!
Top with homemade croutons! For some added crunch, throw on some homemade sourdough croutons (like the ones from my potato leek soup recipe)!
How to Make Kale White Bean Soup
Finely chop the shallot and garlic, and thinly slice the carrots and celery.
Add all the prepped veggies and olive oil to a large stock pot over medium high heat.
Lightly sauté for 5-10 minutes or until tender and aromatic. Then season with the fresh sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and let cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the vegetable stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the cannellini beans (make sure to drain and rinse them first). Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
If desired, you can remove about ⅓ of the soup and blend until creamy. Then add back into the soup for a thick, creamy texture. [I love doing this but sometimes I don't want to wash extra dishes, so it's delicious either way!]
Add in the chopped kale and let cook gently until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Serve the white bean and kale soup immediately with crusty bread and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, this white bean kale soup freezes great! Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
White Bean and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 ribs celery, about 1 cup chopped
- 3 large carrots, about 1 ½ cups chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup white cooking wine, optional
- 5 cups vegetable stock, substitute chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups lacinato kale , chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Add all the prepped veggies and olive oil to a large stock pot over medium high heat.
- Lightly sauté for 5-10 minutes or until tender and aromatic. Then season with the fresh sage, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and let cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the vegetable stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the cannellini beans (make sure to drain and rinse them first). Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- If desired, you can remove about ⅓ of the soup and blend until creamy. Then add back into the soup for a thick, creamy texture. [I love doing this but sometimes I don't want to wash extra dishes, so it's delicious either way!]
- Add in the chopped kale and let cook gently until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Christina says
Great recipe ! Will make again
Katie says
I didn't have any kale so I used spinach and I also added some chicken. I ended up blending 1/3 of the soup to make it creamier as the directions suggested. So good!