White Bean Soup with Kale and Parmesan Cheese

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This hearty and delicious White Bean Soup with Kale and Parmesan Cheese is perfect for a an easy weeknight dinner. Great for a side, but filling enough to be a healthy main dish as well. Vegetarian, gluten-free and can easily be made vegan too!

Kale is a classic leafy green vegetable, and when paired with white beans it makes for a satisfying, filling main meal! The first time I ate this soup was during a trip my husband and I took to Italy — we were traveling through Tuscany and were served this amazing Tuscan white bean soup at a small cafe near one of the wineries we had stopped at. We enjoyed it in the summer, but this soup could certainly be perfect for cold winter days as well! It’s one of those healthy recipes that is so versatile it works for just about any meal, any time of year.

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This easy recipe is perfect when served with some crusty bread, or as a side dish when you’re feeding a crowd. It’s naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, and can be made vegan simply by omitting the cheese on top. It’s easy to make in the Instant Pot as well, if you need a “set and forget” type of recipe!

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy One Pot Meal
• Vegetarian and Gluten Free
• Easily Made Vegan
• Great for a crowd
• Super healthy
• Filling and Satisfying
• Great for meal prep – Tastes even better the next day!

How to Make This White Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

This simple soup recipe calls for everyday ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store! See recipe card below for exact quantities of ingredients.

Olive Oil and Fresh Garlic: Minced garlic sauteed in olive oil creates an aromatic base for this easy white bean soup.

Onion: You can use red onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Kale: This tuscan soup wouldn’t be the same without some hearty greens! We used kale, but you can use baby spinach or even swiss chard or collard greens chopped finely for this soup!

Vegetable Broth: You could also use chicken broth but then this dish wouldn’t be vegetarian.

White Beans: I used a combination of cannellini beans (which are basically white kidney beans) and navy beans, but you can use any type of white beans you like!

Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes add brightness and acidity to this recipe. If you don’t have tomatoes, you can also use 1 tbsp of tomato paste but it won’t have as fresh of a flavor.

Herbs and Spices: I used Dried Oregano, Dried Basil, Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper. But you can also use dried italian seasoning or add 1-2 bay leaves for additional flavor. Fresh herbs would work equally well in this recipe, you’ll just have to increase the amount of herbs you use since dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor than fresh.

Parmesan Cheese: Shredded parmesan cheese makes for a creamy topping for this soup. Omit this if you want make a vegan version of this comforting soup.

Equipment Needed

• Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
• Potato Masher or Blender
• Chopping Knife
• Cutting Board
• Ladle or Wooden Spoon

Instructions

Step 1: Chop all your veggies. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; sauté until soft.

Step 2: Add kale and sauté over medium heat, stirring, until wilted.

Step 3: Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper + black pepper). Simmer 5 minutes.

Step 4: In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until they have a creamy texture. You can also just mashed the beans in the broth with a potato masher (I did this and it worked great), or use an immersion blender to combine. Stir into soup to thicken.

Step 5: Simmer on low heat at least 15-30 minutes – until the kale has cooked to the texture you like.

Step 6: Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. For additional spice, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes on top as well.

Instant Pot Instructions

Step 1: Add garlic and onions to your instant pot and press sauté. When onions become translucent add kale and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Stop the sauté process by pressing cancel.

Step 2: Add 3 cups of veggie broth, 2 cups of whole beans, mashed beans with broth, and all of the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper to the instant pot.

Step 3: Set to Manual High Pressure for 2 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes, then manual release!

What Makes This Creamy White Bean Soup Healthy?

• Vitamins and Nutrients: Kale is considered a superfood! It’s high in nutrients, and low in calories. It’s high in antioxidants, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and vitamin K. These nutrients help contribute to blood sugar control, lower risk of cancer, and reduce blood pressure. It’s also known to support skin, hair, and bone health.
• High in Protein and Fiber: This recipe is high in plant-protein and fiber thanks to the white beans and kale in this soup. One serving of this soup has 17 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber (about 40% of your daily recommended fiber intake!)
• Low Calorie: This recipe is perfect for healthy eating! This soup has only 300 calories and less than 5 grams of fat.

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

• Polenta “rounds” crisped in the oven
• Crusty Whole Wheat Bread or Garlic bread – to scoop up all the goodness around your soup bowl. 
• Light green salad with balsamic vinaigrette – for a lighter, more refreshing addition to round out this meal

Expert Tips

• If you don’t have kale you can use baby spinach or any leafy green.
• You can use any white bean in this soup! Choose from navy, cannellini, butterbeans or great northern beans.
• To save time, follow the Instant Pot instructions in the recipe card!
• You can use dry beans instead of canned. One 15 ounce can of beans equals ¾ cup dried beans, which means you will need 1 ½ cups of dried beans for this creamy white bean soup.
• If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the beans in the broth with a potato masher.
• Allow enough time for the soup to simmer on the stove to meld all the flavors together. 

More Delicious Soup Recipes!

• Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Cumin
• Vegan Black Bean Soup
• Spicy Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup
• Italian Chickpea Soup
• Vegetarian Stew Recipes

If you have tried this Mediterranean White Bean Soup with Kale, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!