Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp |
| Yellow onion, finely diced | 1 medium |
| Carrots, diced | 2 medium |
| Celery, diced | 2 stalks |
| Garlic, minced | 4 cloves |
| Cannellini/white beans, cooked | 4 cups (about 3 × 400-g cans, drained) |
| Vegetable or chicken stock | 5 cups / 1.2 L |
| Kale, stems removed & chopped | 3 packed cups |
| Potato, peeled & diced | 1 medium |
| Dried thyme | 1 tsp |
| Dried rosemary | ½ tsp |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tsp |
| Black pepper | ½ tsp, plus more to taste |
| Salt | ¾–1 tsp, to taste |
| Bay leaf | 1 |
| Heavy cream | ½ cup / 120 ml |
| Parmesan, finely grated | ¼ cup / 25 g, optional |
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp |
| Fresh parsley | 2 tbsp, chopped |
| Red pepper flakes | ¼ tsp, optional |
For a thicker, creamy texture
Take 1½ cups of the beans and blend them with ½ cup of the stock until smooth. This gives the soup the creamy appearance in the photograph without needing a large amount of cream.
Method
1. Prepare the vegetables
Dice the onion, carrots, celery and potato into fairly small pieces. Remove the tough kale stems and roughly chop the leaves.
If using canned beans, drain and rinse them well.
2. Build the flavor
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds.
3. Add the soup ingredients
Add:
- diced potato
- white beans
- vegetable/chicken stock
- thyme
- rosemary
- Italian seasoning
- bay leaf
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes, if using
Bring to a gentle boil.
4. Simmer
Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 18–22 minutes, or until the potato and vegetables are tender.
5. Make it creamy
Remove about 1½ cups of beans and broth and blend until smooth.
Return the puree to the pot and stir well.
Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot for a few seconds, being careful not to completely puree the soup. Keeping plenty of whole beans gives it the chunky appearance shown in the image.
6. Add the kale
Stir in the chopped kale.
Simmer uncovered for 4–6 minutes, until the kale is tender but still green.
7. Finish
Lower the heat and stir in the cream and Parmesan, if using.
Add the lemon juice and parsley.
Taste and adjust salt, pepper and lemon. Remove the bay leaf.
If the soup is too thick, add another ½–1 cup of stock or water.
Nutrition — approximate
Per serving, assuming 6 servings and using the cream but not Parmesan:
- Calories: ~330 kcal
- Protein: ~15 g
- Carbohydrates: ~45 g
- Fiber: ~11 g
- Fat: ~11 g
- Saturated fat: ~4 g
- Sugar: ~7 g
- Sodium: ~600–750 mg, depending heavily on the stock and canned beans
Using low-sodium stock and no added salt can substantially reduce the sodium.
Want it lighter?
Replace the ½ cup cream with ½ cup unsweetened milk or simply use additional pureed beans. The bean puree alone makes the soup surprisingly creamy.
Allergens / “nut info”
No tree nuts or peanuts are required in this recipe.
If using packaged stock, canned beans, Parmesan, or cream, check the label for allergen/cross-contact information. Parmesan makes the recipe dairy-containing; omit it and use a dairy-free cream if you want a dairy-free version.