Smoky white bean and kale soup is the perfect cold weather soup! Loaded with veggies and a hint of smokiness, it is healthy and delicious.
Looking for a soup loaded with wholesome ingredients to warm you up on a cold day? You have found the perfect soup!
This delicious Smoky White Bean and Kale Soup is from Nikole Goncalves’ new cookbook The HealthNut Cookbook. If you don’t know Nikole, run (don’t walk!) to her YouTube channel, where you’ll find healthy recipes, healthy lifestyle content, and meal prep tips!
If you are looking for healthy recipes, Nikole is your girl. The HealthNut Cookbook has over 100 easy, healthy and delicious meals, most of which have their own beautiful photo with clear and concise instructions. Lots of these recipes are perfect for meal prep, and Nikole even has a section filled with meal prep tips.
I have bookmarked a whole bunch of recipes to try for our family, including No Bake Coconut Almond Clusters (page 76), Apple Bacon Kale Salad (page 131) and Roasted Poblano and Mushroom Fajitas (page 176).
Today, I’m sharing the Smoky White Bean and Kale Soup, which is easy to prepare and perfect served with a crusty baguette!
Reasons you’ll ♡ this smoky white and bean kale soup
- it’s vegan and gluten-free
- it’s ready in just under 45 minutes
- it’s healthy, but delicious
Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Which ingredients do we need for white bean kale soup?
- white beans– cannellini beans, cooked through (2 cans or 4 cups)
- aromatics– shallot and garlic
- spices– smoked paprika, salt, pepper and a touch of chili flakes
- herbs– fresh thyme and a bay leaf
- veggies– carrot, celery, and kale
- stock– vegetable stock to make it vegan, I used homemade bone broth
- lemon– to squeeze in at the end to help all the other flavors pop
Meal prep tips for this smoky white bean kale soup recipe
This kale soup keeps really well in the fridge (up to 1 week) and leftovers were enjoyed by all. According to Nikole, it is also freezer-friendly for up to 1 month!
When storing soup, here are my favorite containers:
- 1 quart jars (if freezing, leave 1/4 of the jar empty to account for expansion, and leave lids ajar until fully frozen)
- these reusable plastic freezer jars are also great!
- these reusable labels mean you’ll always know what you’ve frozen
What should I serve with this smoky white bean kale soup recipe?
I highly recommend some crusty bread for dunking! And I am guessing (but haven’t tried), that a little bit of crumbled bacon or parmesan cheese would be a delicious topping on this soup.
Can I cook this soup in the Instant Pot?
I bet you could, however I haven’t tried. I would do all the steps through adding stock and other ingredients, and then pressure cook for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. Let me know if you give this a try!
Where can I get the HealthNut Cookbook?
You can find Nikole’s cookbook on Amazon (US friends- here!
) (Canadian friends- here!), or you can find out more about the cookbook on Nikole’s site here.
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this smoky kale white bean soup. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips & equipment for smoky kale white bean soup
- I highly recommend investing in a good chef’s knife <– this is my fave and it makes quick work of the chopping in this recipe
- I used my new blender (this Vitamix!) to puree the soup, but I bet this immersion blender would do the trick, too!
- Looking for more healthy soup recipes? Check out this Stuffed Pepper Soup, this Hearty Lentil Soup or this Lightened Up Broccoli Cheese Soup
Smoky White Bean and Kale Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 stalks celery (sliced)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves stripped from the stems)
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili flakes adjust to taste
- 38 oz cannellini beans (two 19 ounce/540 mL cans, rinsed and drained or 4 cups cooked cannellini beans)
- 3 cups kale (loosely packed stemmed and roughly chopped)
- 1/2 lemon (juiced)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the celery and carrots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, add the bay leaf, thyme, paprika, salt, black pepper, chili flakes, and cannellini beans, and bring to a gentle boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and tender, stirring halfway through.
- Remove the bay leaf. Transfer 4 cups of the soup to a high-speed blender and purée for 10 seconds. Pour the puréed soup back in to the pot. Stir in the kale and lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
