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This homemade White Bean and Kale Soup recipe is easy, affordable, and the epitome of comfort food all year round. My simple soup recipe proves that you can coax loads of flavor out of 5 ingredients in just 30 minutes.
Meggan’s notes
You don’t need complex ingredients or techniques to eat a delicious meal. And even though I’m a classically-trained chef, that doesn’t mean I wanted to eat complicated dishes all the time! Sometimes you just want a simple, tasty meal that’s ready fast.
This White Bean and Kale Soup is my go-to for something light and nutritious that doesn’t break the bank or take all day. The secret is two cans of beans two different ways: You mash one can of beans which helps thicken the soup, and you add the other can whole. It’s always nice when dishes look like the ingredients they contain, so leaving half the beans whole accomplishes that.
We also build flavors with sautéed onion and chicken broth. You can absolutely substitute vegetable broth to make this soup vegan, but either way, be sure to season it with enough salt so your bowl isn’t bland. Add a few handfuls of fresh kale and cook until tender. You’ll be surprised how tasty this is for the low effort required!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cannellini beans: 3 cups cooked beans can be substituted for the 2 cans (that’s about 1 cup dried beans before cooking). You can use any type of canned or cooked bean instead of cannelini beans. You’ll mash half of the beans to thicken the soup and stir in the other half whole.
- Chicken broth: Chicken broth adds the best flavor to this white bean soup. Substitute vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian or vegan.
- Kale: Any hearty, leafy dark green like escarole or chard will do. Just be sure to remove the thick stems and tear into 1-inch pieces for spoon-sized bites that wilt down wonderfully.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mash one can of beans in a small bowl.
- Add mashed beans, broth, and water to saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the remaining whole beans and the kale. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer about 20 minutes, until the kale is tender.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Serve with crusty bread if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 hearty servings, 2 cups each.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: For company, this soup is best served the day it is prepared because the beans tend to break down over time.
- Freezing: Cool within 2 hours, then portion, label, date, then freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Flavor boosters: I love the light, clean flavor of this soup and I think it is delicious as written. But if you are seeking more flavor, try a clove of garlic (minced), a bay leaf, a leftover Parmesan rind, or some leftover chicken.
- Garnishes: Top with croutons, pieces of toasted baguette, or grated Parmesan cheese.
- Slow Cooker: Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. During the last 20 minutes of cook time, stir in the kale and cook until tender. Enjoy warm, ladled into bowls straight from the slow cooker.
- Soup and sandwich: White bean and kale soup is delicious paired with my Ultimate veggie wrap, turkey roll-ups, or tuna salad on toast.
Frequently Asked Questions
3 cups cooked beans can be substituted for the 2 cans (that’s about 1 cup dried beans before cooking). You can use any type of canned or cooked bean instead of Cannelini beans.You’ll mash half of the beans to thicken the soup and stir in the other half whole.
To make this soup in a slow cooker, combine all ingredients in a crockpot and stir. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. During the last 20 minutes of cook time, stir in the kale and cook until tender. Enjoy warm, ladled into bowls straight from the slow cooker.
This recipe is made with chicken broth, but you can easily substitute vegetable stock for a plant-powered, vegan soup.
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White Bean and Kale Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion peeled and chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed (see note 1)
- 4 cups chicken broth (see note 2)
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups kale stems removed and torn into 1” pieces (see note 3)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mash one can of beans in a small bowl. Add mashed beans, broth, and water to saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in remaining beans (left whole) and kale. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer about 20 minutes, until kale is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cannellini beans: 3 cups cooked beans can be substituted for the 2 cans (that’s about 1 cup dried beans before cooking). You can use any type of canned or cooked bean instead of cannelini beans. You’ll mash half of the beans to thicken the soup and stir in the other half whole.
- Chicken broth: Chicken broth adds the best flavor to this white bean soup. Substitute vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian or vegan.
- Kale: Any hearty, leafy dark green like escarole or chard will do. Just be sure to remove the thick stems and tear into 1-inch pieces for spoon-sized bites that wilt down wonderfully.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 hearty servings, 2 cups each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yummy soup that everyone loves! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Today, I don’t have no Kale but quite a lot of spinach, so I plan to substitute spinach for kale. Spinach always makes my teeth feel funny although I like the taste of it. I think the secret may be to just add the spinach at the very end until it’s just wilted. Your thoughts?
Hi Carol, sounds delicious! I would add it as if it were kale, cooking until the spinach is wilted. The spinach would benefit from the simmering, as the longer it is cooked, the more neutral the spinach will become. I hope this helps! Enjoy! – Meggan
Super yummy soup! Its simple and very cheap to make. I cook the beans in the instant pot whil I do all the other things for the soup. I also ran out of white beans and used pinto beans instead and that came out great as well. Keeps you warm in the winter! I highly recommend this soup!
Thanks for the comment Shane, I’m so glad you enjoyed! – Meggan
Delicious! When it starts getting chilly outside – this is on the stove simmering away! We do add a clove of minced garlic ( because we love garlic:) to the onions and serve the soup with homemade foccacia- yum!
Sounds great Christina, so glad you all like it. Thanks! – Meggan
This has become a go to in my house. My kids love it, and I’ve taken to sautéing some small cut andouille before the onion to up the protein content (my husband is on a high protein diet, so we add meat wherever we can XD).
Hi Talana, thanks! That sounds great, so glad you all enjoy. – Meggan
What would you think about adding little ground turkey meatballs to this soup? Yes or no?
Hi Phyl, YES. That would be excellent. It reminds me of Italian Wedding Soup. In that recipe, the meatballs go in uncooked and they cook in 5 to 10 minutes in the broth (165 degrees on an internal thermometer). Great idea. We have an excellent turkey meatball recipe on the site if you’re interested: https://cash-surge.live/turkey-meatballs/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thank you so much! -Meggan
Delicious, healthy and simply to make. What more could you ask for! Thank you!
Thank you Lori! -Meggan
My sweet dear friend brought me this soup while I was sick with a bad flu. She added lemongrass and chicken to the recipe, and it was superb! Thankful for people who share such healing recipes! Blessings to you all.
Wow! So simple and so yummy. We used 1 part garlic bouillon to 3 parts chicken bouillon for the broth. Will DEFINITELY be making this again. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Hi Erin! Can I use frozen kale?? If so, how much and would you alter liquid ingredients to account for liquid content in frozen kale or would you defrost and squeeze excess liquid out of kale first?? Also, I’d like to add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. How much of each would you recommend? Thanks so much!!
Hi Rachel, sure! Sounds like a great idea. One 10-ounce package of frozen kale is about 1 1/2 cups fresh, so use at least one package. What’s lovely with this soup is you can season to taste, I would start with one clove of garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and go from there. I hope you enjoy this! – Meggan
This recipe looks fantastic – I can’t wait to try! Just wondering, you have 11.6g fat listed in the nutritional value. Where does the fat come from?
Hi Eden, our nutrition label was a little off, I’m sorry about that. I ran it again, and now it’s saying 7g fat. It comes from the olive oil. You could omit that if you wanted to cook the onions in nonstick spray or in a little broth or water. I think it would work. I hope this helps! Sorry about that error. Thanks for letting me know. -Meggan