This delicious Kale Soup with white beans and vegetables in a seasoned tomato-based broth is a wholesome and flavor-packed meal. It’s so hearty and satisfying, you’ll never know it’s vegetarian!
What I love about this soup is that it’s healthy (without sacrificing flavor) and it uses staple pantry ingredients along with fresh vegetables. The leftovers are delicious reheated (so it’s great for meal prepping) and it freezes well, too!
Ingredients Notes
- Fresh kale – (one bunch). I find that bunches of kale can vary greatly in size, so an 8 to 12 ounce bunch works in this recipe. You’ll need to remove the large stems and coarsely chop or tear the leaves.
- Carrots
- Garlic – minced fresh garlic is best, but feel free to use the jarred version to speed things up a little.
- Olive oil
- Vegetable broth – chicken broth can be substituted but it will not be vegetarian.
- Potatoes – peeled and cut into bite size pieces.
- Onion
- Salt and black pepper – I season with salt and pepper at the end of cooking (especially since the white beans are not drained and it adds more sodium).
- Diced tomatoes
- Cannellini beans – great northern beans can be substituted for cannellini beans.
- Italian seasoning – feel free to adjust the amount to your liking.
- Bay leaf – remove and discard before serving.
How to Make Kale Soup
Following is a brief overview – please see the recipe card at the bottom for ingredient amounts and full detailed instructions.
- In a 6 quart Dutch oven or soup pot, cook garlic and onion in olive oil until onions are soft.
- Add chopped kale and cook for an additional two minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes with juices, beans, carrots, potatoes, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.
This wholesome meal couldn’t be easier to prepare!
To take this delicious soup a step further, I sometimes sprinkle with Parmesan and serve with crusty French bread – totally satisfying!
Storage
- Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat.
Enjoy!
More Kale Deliciousness
Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 bunch kale (8 to 12 ounces) rinsed, large stems removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 (32 ounce) container vegetable broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini beans undrained
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots (sliced ¼ inch thick) 3 to 4 carrots
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and sliced into bite size pieces (about ½ inch cubes) about 4 cups
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less, to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper more or less, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a 6 quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until onions are soft, stirring constantly.
- Add kale and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, carrots, potatoes, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer (medium low to low).
- Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Season with desired amounts of salt and pepper. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.
Video
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 14 cups.
- Cannellini beans can be substituted with great northern beans.
- Vegetable broth can be substituted with chicken broth, but will not be vegetarian.
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat.
Nutrition
If provided, nutritional info is a courtesy, is not guaranteed and should only be considered as a guideline.
Recipe originally shared February 2016, photos and text updated October 2021.
Very good. I didn’t have carrots or potatoes on hand, so I added another can of beans, black beans for a bit of visual difference. For my tastes, it needed a bit more tomato flavor (probably because of that second can of beans) so I added a 6 ounce can of V-8.
The kale I had from my CSA box was the curly kind so I’m really glad there was a weight given for the amount, that stuff takes up a LOT of space.
Wonderful! I subbed black beans for cannelini (that’s all I had). My husband said if he paid $8 at the farmer’s market for a bowl of this soup he would be ecstatic. I felt full & healthy. Thanks for listing cup and oz amounts (instead of one onion or one bunch of kale)
Good stuff. I used golden potatoes instead of russet, personal preference.
this is my emotional support soup and it is delicious and relatively easy to make for someone just beginning in the kitchen
My husband and I loved this soup. I’m going to try spinach in the next batch. It’s so light and refreshing.
Thanks so much, Wanda – So glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
Really tasty