White Bean and Kale Soup is a one-pot, hearty, vegetarian comfort in a bowl. Packed with plant-based protein from quinoa and white beans.
A big crusty loaf of bread is perfect with this soup! Add an Olive Garden Salad for a great pairing.
White Bean and Kale Soup
This hearty soup is perfect for a chilly winter night—comfort food without the heavy feel, thanks to all the veggies and delicious ingredients. Technically vegetarian, but with protein-packed quinoa and white beans, you won’t miss the meat!
Though there’s a bit of veggie prep, this white bean and kale soup comes together quickly and is mostly hands-off. Just stir it a few times, and you’re set!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and helps veggies soften.
- Carrots, Onion, Celery: Many grocery stores sell pre-chopped mirepoix in the produce section.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the best flavor, but jarred works great.
- Tomato Paste: Cook briefly to bring out its full flavor.
- Dried Herbs: Taste often and season the soup as you go.
- Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Try using San Marzano or Muir Glen for richer flavor.
- Bay Leaves: Remember to remove before serving.
- Vegetable Stock: Use chicken stock if not vegetarian for extra richness.
- White Quinoa: Rinse before using to remove bitterness.
- Cannellini or Great Northern Beans: Rinse before using.
- Kale: Chop coarsely to keep its texture in the soup.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens flavors at the end.
Quick Tip
Freshly chopped flat leaf Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese makes the perfect finishing touch to this white bean and kale soup.
How To Make White Bean And Kale Soup
- Cook Veggies: Heat olive oil, then cook veggies until soft.
- Add Flavor: Stir in tomato paste and dried herbs; cook briefly to bring out flavors.
- Add Broth & Quinoa: Pour in tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, and quinoa. Bring to a boil.
- Finish with Beans & Kale: Stir in beans and kale, cook until quinoa is fully cooked.
- Adjust & Serve: Remove bay leaves, add lemon juice if desired, and top with Parmesan and parsley.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Soup consistency: Quinoa thickens the soup as it cooks, giving it a stew-like consistency. Add more broth if you want it thinner.
- More protein: Quinoa and beans add protein, but you can mix in pulled rotisserie chicken toward the end if you’d like.
- Spinach instead of kale: Not a fan of kale? Add baby spinach off the heat and stir lightly to wilt.
- Use chicken broth: If you’re not vegetarian, you can swap veggie broth for chicken broth.
- Bean swap: Not into white beans? Try kidney or red beans instead.
Leftovers?
The soup thickens as quinoa expands and tastes great but is best within 2–3 days.
It doesn’t freeze well, as it keeps absorbing liquid and becomes too thick.
More Soup Recipes
- Taco Chili made in 30 minutes or less!
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with spaghetti noodles
- Healthy Minestrone Soup with quinoa
- Best ever Lentil Soup with Parmesan
- Chicken Vegetable Soup with roasted vegetables
White Bean and Kale Soup
This one-pot White Bean and Kale Soup is a hearty, vegetarian meal full of plant-based protein from quinoa and white beans. You can also toss in some shredded chicken if you want!
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pot
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup diced carrots 2 large carrots
- 1 cup diced onion 1 small onion
- 1 cup diced celery 3 celery stalks
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic 4 cloves
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes I love San Marzano or Muir Glen
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups vegetable stock or broth; can use chicken stock/broth if not vegetarian
- 3/4 cup white quinoa see note 1
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups coarsely chopped kale loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large cast-iron pot. Heat to medium, and once oil is hot, add diced carrots, diced celery, diced onion, and minced garlic. Add a tiny pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until veggies are tender, about 7–9 minutes. Add in tomato paste and seasonings (dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, dried rosemary, dried thyme, pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt.) Cook and stir until fragrant, another 30 seconds.
- Still over medium heat, add both cans of undrained, fire-roasted diced tomatoes and stir 1 minute. Add in the 2 bay leaves and rinsed quinoa. Stir and add in vegetable stock. Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. (Soup should maintain a simmer but not a boil). Stir occasionally.
- After 15 minutes, add in drained and rinsed beans and kale. Stir and cook 3–4 more minutes or until quinoa has fully “popped” and kale is softened. Finish the soup with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and, if desired, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove bay leaves.
- Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Follow step one, then transfer everything from that pot to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add in diced tomatoes, stock, rinsed quinoa, drained and rinsed beans, and bay leaves. Cook on high 2–3 hours or low 3–5 hours or until quinoa has popped and veggies are tender. Stir in kale, olive oil, and lemon juice. Remove bay leaves. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve in bowls garnished with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If the quinoa isn’t already rinsed (it will say on the package if it is), add it to a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold water. This removes the saponin coating, which can cause quinoa to taste bitter.
Storage: Soup will continue to thicken as the quinoa expands, though I still think it tastes great. This soup is best eaten within 2–3 days. It does not freeze well; the soup continues to absorb liquid and gets overly bloated.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7.5g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1049.4mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 9.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made the kale and bean soup. Fantastic! Thank you very much for sharing. I used a can if rotel tomatoes in place of one of the cans of tomatoes and I cooked the quinoa separately and put it in the bottom of the bowl before serving. I cooked the soup in the crockpot on a cold snowy day and served it with the quinoa and flatbread. Delicious! Thanks again for sharing! Will be making this again!🙂
Delish! So happy you loved this! Thanks so much RJ! 🙂
Delicious! Smelled so good cooking all
day as I worked in my office. I added the quinoa around noonish and we ate around 6. I might wait another hour next time but it made it thick and hearty which was yum!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Sarah! 🙂
I made this yesterday. It was easy and delicious!
Glad to hear it! 🙂
This soup is so delicious.it is a keeper.💟 didn’t have kale so I used spinach. Amazing
So glad to hear that! Thanks Angela 🙂
This soup looks so good! Does it store well or does the quinoa absorb all of the broth?
Unfortunately doesn’t store great; the quinoa continues to soak up the broth!
Can I add ground turkey to it?
I’d cook it beforehand in a skillet (season with salt + pepper), but I’m sure that would be great 🙂
This is the first recipe of your’s that I made, Chelsea, and it’s the one that inspired my current love of healthy cooking. I had never even tried quinoa or kale before making this recipe, nor had I made a soup (or really anything) from scratch. My family was skeptical based on the ingredients (particularly the kale) the first time I made it, so despite the fact that it probably wasn’t the healthiest choice, I served it in bread bowls. It was absolutely phenomenal and served the three of us for 2 days (although it didn’t make it past lunch the second day)! My dad actually commented that he liked it as much (if not more) on the second day after the quinoa had absorbed more of the broth and it had become more stew-y. We make this recipe constantly for guests now and love how easy it is. Thank you for inspiring my obsession with healthy recipes!
This comment makes my day! It really makes me so happy to hear this, so thank you so very much for sharing! I’m so, so happy this was a hit and has continued to be enjoyed. Thank you so much for the comment Cait!