Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup

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This cozy white bean and kale soup can feed an army on a budget with simple vegetables and a few pantry staples. Busy people and beginner cooks adore this quick, healthy vegetable bean soup made for the Instant Pot or the stove!

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Why you'll love this recipe

White bean kale soup is a delicious, affordable answer to the dinner dilemma most days of the year. This family-friendly Italian soup is the ultimate comfort food made with simple vegetables, a few pantry staples, and fresh kale.

This flavor-loaded vegetable bean soup is so satisfying and comforting that even carnivores won't miss the meat as they happily devour it. I can't tell you how many readers have contacted me to share this sentiment. Of course, it never hurts to serve this mouthwatering vegetable bean soup with crusty bread or homemade croutons because, well, soup and bread.

You'll be shocked by the quantity and delicious flavors this combination of affordable, everyday ingredients offers. When I say eating healthy on a budget is anything but boring, this soup is proof!

Ingredient notes

• Olive oil - Or preferred cooking oil.
• Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic—building flavor and volume doesn't get easier than with these affordable vegetables.
• Tomatoes - Use canned diced tomatoes for a brothier soup or canned crushed tomatoes for a slightly thicker soup base, as seen in my photos. Fresh tomatoes can be substituted but will also extend cooking time.
• Canned white beans - Any variety of white beans can be used. Canned beans offer convenience, but cooking beans from scratch yields more volume for less money. Both options yield delicious results!
• Vegetable broth - You can use homemade or packaged vegetable broth. I'm a fan of vegetable broth for its flavor, value, and minimal space requirement.
• Seasonings - This soup can be made with packaged or homemade Italian seasoning. The addition of crushed red pepper gives it the perfect flavor kick.
• Salt and pepper - Use as instructed or add to taste.
• Fresh kale—You can use any kale variety or substitute other greens, such as fresh spinach or chard. For this recipe, I used Tuscan kale, also known as Dinosaur kale or Lacinato kale.
• Fresh parsley - This is an optional garnish, but always recommended for a pop of color and herbaceous flavor.

How to make Tuscan white bean soup

This white bean soup is suitable for busy people and beginner cooks because of its simple prep and mostly hands-off cooking using an Instant Pot or stove. Enjoy these step-by-step stove instructions with photos. Both methods are included in the recipe card below.

Saute vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat until tender. Add tomatoes and beans.

Stir in vegetable broth and seasonings. Increase heat to bring soup to a boil, stirring as needed. Then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until soup ingredients are fully heated, stirring as needed.

Stir the kale into the soup and continue simmering until it softens to your liking. Serve immediately if desired.

Recipe Test Kitchen Tips

• Chopping shortcut – Chopping the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic is the main prep for this recipe. Use pre-chopped or frozen vegetables if you want to save time.
• Beans – This recipe uses canned white beans for convenience. If using dried beans, cook them fully before adding to the soup. Cannellini, navy, great northern, and white kidney beans all work well.
• Tomato options – Fresh tomatoes can be used in place of canned. Chop them into small pieces and expect a slightly longer simmer time to fully soften and develop flavor.
• Kale prep – Remove tough kale stems before chopping, and cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces so the soup is easier to serve and eat. Baby kale can be used as-is. Any kale variety works well, including curly, Tuscan, and red kale.
• Finish with brightness – Add a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of lemon zest just before serving to brighten the flavor.
• Reheating – The soup will thicken as it sits, so add broth or water when reheating to loosen it.

Freezing Instructions

First, allow the soup to cool completely. Transfer to airtight freezer containers and place in the freezer. Once frozen, enjoy within 3 months (or longer if vacuum sealed).

More easy soup recipes

Vegetarian soups: Tomato Soup, Chickpea Kale Soup, Minestrone Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup

Classic soups: Ham and Bean Soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Zuppa Toscana, Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Soup, Lasagna Soup, Easy Italian Lentil Soup

📖 Recipe

Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup

This cozy white bean and kale soup feeds an army on a budget with simple vegetables and a few pantry staples. Busy beginner cooks love this quick, healthy vegetable bean soup for a stove or pressure cooker.

Prep TimePrep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook TimeCook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total timeTotal Time: 40 minutes mins

Yield 10 cups

Author Traci

4.94 from 133 votes

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Video

Note about scaling

When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, or preferred oil
• ▢ ½ large Onion, diced (1 cup)
• ▢ 2 Carrots, diced (1 cup)
• ▢ 2 ribs Celery, diced (1 cup)
• ▢ 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce can) Diced Tomatoes or Crushed Tomatoes, don't drain
• ▢ 2 (15-ounce cans) White Beans (Cannellini or Navy), drained and rinsed = about 3 cups beans
• ▢ 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt, use more or less, to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper, optional
• ▢ 4 cups Kale, any variety, chopped

Topping options

• ▢ Lemon zest, fresh parsley, croutons, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Instructions

• Heat a 4.5-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Add OLIVE OIL and heat until shimmering.
• Add ONIONS, CARROTS, CELERY, and GARLIC. Sauté a few minutes until softened, stirring as needed to build flavor.
• Stir in TOMATOES (use diced for a more brothy soup or crushed for a thicker, tomato-forward broth), VEGETABLE BROTH, WHITE BEANS (drained and rinsed), ITALIAN SEASONING, SALT, and CRUSHED RED PEPPER.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. For a thicker soup, mash some of the WHITE BEANS in the pot during this time.
• Remove tough stems from KALE, chop into bite-sized pieces, and stir into the soup during the last few minutes of simmering (add earlier for softer KALE or later for more texture).
• Taste and adjust SALT as needed.
• Serve warm with optional toppings like lemon zest, parsley, croutons, or Parmesan.
• To store, cool completely and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Did you make this? We'd love your feedback!!Please rate and review it here or below ⤵️

Recipe Notes

Chopping shortcut – Chopping the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic is the main prep for this recipe. Use pre-chopped or frozen vegetables if you want to save time.

Beans – This recipe uses canned white beans for convenience. If using dried beans, cook them fully before adding to the soup. Cannellini, navy, great northern, and white kidney beans all work well.

Tomato options – Fresh tomatoes can be used in place of canned. Chop them into small pieces and expect a slightly longer simmer time to fully soften and develop flavor.

Kale prep – Remove tough kale stems before chopping, and cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces so the soup is easier to serve and eat. Baby kale can be used as-is. Any kale variety works well, including curly, Tuscan, and red kale.

Finish with brightness – Add a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of lemon zest just before serving to brighten the flavor.

Reheating – The soup will thicken as it sits, so add broth or water when reheating to loosen it.

____________________________

Pressure Cooker Instructions

Use the Sauté function to heat olive oil in the Instant Pot. Once hot, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed. Stir in tomatoes, white beans, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper, and kale. Press Cancel, secure the lid, and set the valve to sealing. Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook (high) for 1 minute. When done, allow a 10-minute natural release, then carefully vent any remaining pressure, open the lid, stir, and serve.

Equipment

• chef's knife
• cutting board
• 4.5-quart Dutch oven or stockpot or 6-quart Instant Pot
• serving ladle
• airtight storage container

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 127.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.9g | Protein: 6.09g | Fat: 3.86g | Saturated Fat: 0.47g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.44g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.11g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 534.71mg | Potassium: 446.96mg | Fiber: 6.06g | Sugar: 2.67g | Vitamin A: 1532IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 1.61mg

Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.

Course Dinner, Dinner Recipes, entree, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

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