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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
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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
- 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.
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- 4.5-quart Dutch oven or stockpot or 6-quart Instant Pot
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Jeff says
I thought this soup couldn't get any better...and then I had it with your French bread straight out of the oven. Now I'm crazed! (and I'm as meat-eater as they get!).
The Kitchen Girl says
Wooooot! This soup has def been approved by meat-eaters...and that French bread does make it next level, doesn't it?!
Hawk West says
This recipe changed my life it is so tasty! I've made it three times and it is just as good the next day for lunch. The first time I made it I substituted with what was on hand (Kitchen Girl mantra), I used Italian butter beans and some organic stewed tomatoes from a jar and store bought minced garlic. The beans were raw so had to add 35 mins to the instapot timer. Yum can't say enough!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awww this makes me so happy, Hawk! We truly love it this much too, but I always love hearing that from someone else 🙂 Thank you thank you!
Michelle s says
Does the recipe say cook on high pressure for 1 min? Is that all the time it needs on pressure cook? TIA!
The Kitchen Girl says
That's correct...and I find that any more than that overcooks the beans and vegetables. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Roberta says
I too had to tweak the recipe a bit - using up what I had on hand - 'Stay at Home' order now in place.
I used dried Navy Pea Beans - cooking in IP first,
Oregano & Thyme, not a whole can of tomatoes - I only have a 3 qt. pot, homemade stock, and cayenne pepper.
I chopped the kale small and cooked in with all ingredients.
Very satisfying dish. Thanks!
The Kitchen Girl says
Sounds perfect, Roberta...especially considering the constraints. So glad you enjoyed...thank you for the review 🙂
Jeff Wood says
Just made this for dinner tonight. This is the second time I have made this. Due to the Coronavirus and the store shelves being empty, I had to make a couple of substitutions this time. I used dried Great Northern beans that I cooked ahead in my Instant Pot and used 4 cups of the cooked beans. I also had to substitute a red onion for the white. It turned out awesome! So flavorful and I thought the beans were just perfect. Thanks so much for the recipe
The Kitchen Girl says
Great to hear it, Jeff! I've used dried Great Northerns from the Instant Pot for this recipe as well. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Cami says
Thank you! So if using dry beans it’s best to just cook them separately and then add them to the soup?
Yes I will be using your no soak method! Thanks so much!
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Cami, I would def cook the beans separately and then add them to the soup. This helps to keep the other vegetables from becoming mushy and disintegrating. Hope you love the no-soak method...it's my favvvvv way to cook beans 🙂
Cami says
If I cook my dry beans ahead of time do I then cook them again with the soup or add them in at the end? Also, what quantity of dry beans equals 2 cans?
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Cami, I don't typically cook my beans again with the soup when I cook the beans from scratch. I've found that it makes them too soft and fall apart easily. Btw, have you seen my post on cooking dried beans without soaking? Check it out, if you haven't.
To answer your second question, 1 cup dry beans will yield 3 cups cooked, which equals 2 cans. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
dogyeargirl says
I hate to cook. Most of the time I ever try to cook something, it comes out horrible, often inedible. I’ve made decent stuff with the Instant Pot though, and this white bean kale soup recipe is excellent. We do not eat meat at home. The soup I made from this recipe was delicious, and nutritious. Thank you, kitchen girl!!!
The Kitchen Girl says
Lovvvve hearing this! We've literally made it once every two or three weeks this winter LOL. I'm so glad you're finding success with this recipe. Thanks SO much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Zaida says
My family and I really enjoyed this plant based recipe! I added the kale at the beginning as we don’t like it’s tough texture and it came out nice and tender. I also added a lot more seasoning- thyme, rosemary twig, and parsley. This soup recipe is going in my winter recipe rotation. Thank you!
The Kitchen Girl says
Oh I love this! So glad you enjoyed it as we do. It's in our rotation too...we've been eating it all week LOL. Thanks for taking the time to let me know
Betsy Walsh Guidone says
my husband said this is his favorite recipe! I added Black Forest ham to it for added flavor. delish. also, I have the IP Ultra without a manual timer. I have to judge it myself enthuse kind of recipes
Betsy Walsh Guidone says
my husband said this is his favorite recipe! I added Black Forest ham to it for added flavor. delish
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome, Betsy! Yep, we've added different proteins to it too. It's great with and without 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Vegan Mom says
Thank you for this recipe! I made it with dry beans and it came out great. I used 1 cup of dried beans and 4-5 cups of broth. I set my Duo IP on Soup/broth and let it depressurize over time. Then I added the kale. Took longer than 30 mins, but is delicious!
I also use a pressure canner and can my own beans (12-14 jars at a time). Doing that allows me to use canned beans without the cost or waste and still do this recipe in 30 mins.
Traci Antonovich says
You're so welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying this one. Very cool on the pressure canner trick. Thanks for stopping back by! 🙂
Monica S. says
What if I want to use dry beans instead of canned, what would the process and cooking time be?
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Monica, using dry beans on this recipe will significantly increase your pressure cooking time. If it were me, I'd basically follow the recipe, except I'd set the cooker for +30 minutes (instead of +1), followed by natural pressure release, and taste test the beans. If I wanted them softer, I'd do another +5 minute pressure cook cycle, depressurize again, and taste again. I would repeat as needed until the beans are to my liking. Does this answer your question?
MikeBike says
Why people call "Healthy recipe" when they use canned food for everything? To me its not healthy if you are using canned tomatoes, canned beans.
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Mike, well thankfully, we all get to apply what works for ourselves. I can see how you'd feel that way. I have no problem with you avoiding recipes not suited to your preferences. In fact, I gladly encourage it. Cheers!
Dale says
So glad I found this recipe because I love using the IP and this will be part of our rotation now that soup season is here. We watched the Netflix documentary "The Game Changers" while eating this tonight. If you haven't seen it I recommend at least watching the first hour or so. Thanks for sharing.
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Dale! Ok I really need to check that doc out! Thanks for the rec...and I'm SO glad you love this soup. Thanks a million for stopping back to let me know 🙂
Grant says
OK, This is definitely delicious and nutritious. I made it as per recipe and it was perfect. The next day, I cooked a Russet potato and sweet potato in the microwave and added some of it to the remaining soup. Gob-smack'n gooooood!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome, Grant!! I'm so glad you enjoy this soup 🙂 And potatoes...yummmmmm...thanks for stopping back by!
Jodi B says
I wasn't super excited to make this but I had everything so I took a chance. SO GOOD!! Thank you for sharing!
Traci Antonovich says
Haha, wellll I'm glad you took that chance 🙂 Just made this the other day myself. I love it on the spicy side, but the recipe is mild. Anyway, so glad you enjoyed...thanks for circling back to let me know.
Sarah C says
This was great, instead of salt I used creole seasoning since I didn't have red pepper flakes and I also added 2 teaspoons of pepper since thats what we like. I added the kale before pressure cooking because I don't like it tough. My one note is the calorie count on here is way off, I calculated it twice and at a minimum it is 145 per serving. Still good, but that's way different than what's stated here.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, Sarah...glad you enjoyed it! As for nutrition values, I'll take a closer look at that, but I do encourage readers to seek the most accurate numbers from a nutrition specialist or calculate their own, as my numbers are compiled from a standard database. Sounds like you know what you're doing 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Kay says
I had started to cook this recipe when I noticed the cooking time said 2+. I don't have an IP as you cannot buy them in Australia. It was nothing but frustrating searching the internet to find out how long that meant for cooking time in my cuisinart pressure cooker. In the end I used a different recipe that actually gave the timeframe.
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Kay, I hear you on this and I tried to find the info for you. Unfortunately, it's hard to assign actual cooking times to the +1, +2, etc. numbers for the IP because it changes depending on what's being cooked. In the future, you could use your pressure cooker owner's manual as a point of reference for soup, pasta, poultry, etc. and make the conversion that way. Hope this helps 🙂
Sherrie says
This was amazing! I also used the instant pot to turn my white dehydrated beans into the substitute for the "canned" beans. I cooked 2 cups of dried beans which equals about 6 cups of cooked beans, then followed directions.
So perfect with a slice of garlic bread and some parm grated on top of the soup!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome Sherrie, I'm so glad to hear this...and I absolutely love parm and bread with this soup. YUM! I appreciate your feedback...thanks SO much!
Sheila says
I was disappointed that the recipe used canned beans. I'm new to the IP but it seems to me that cooking beans is one of the most interesting things this pot does. Also, dried beans would be more cost effective than canned, no?
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Sheila, I love to cook beans in my IP, but not at the same time as fresh vegetables. Dry beans require a min time of +30 on the IP, which would make the veggies mushy. If you want to use fresh beans, you'll want to cook them separately. Canned beans make this soup speedy. Hope that makes sense 🙂
Christina says
Thanks for posting ! Tried this recipe with great northern beans & dried rosemary and turned out delish. Great balance of flavors.
Traci Antonovich says
Oh perfect! I love dried rosemary! So glad you enjoyed it...thanks for the feedback! 🙂
coco says
I made this last night and it was easy and delish! I only substituted spinach for the kale, otherwise made recipe as directed.
Traci Antonovich says
So glad to hear it Coco! Spinach sounds perfect for this recipe...YUM! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Jane says
This was my very first time using an instant pot. I was a little unsure but kept to your instructions exactly (except I mistakenly added the chopped kale and cooked it under pressure with everything else and there was no problem). It really is delicious and easy soup. Thank you!
Traci Antonovich says
Woohoo! I always love to hear a good, first-time, Instant Pot experience! Thanks so much for taking the time to review my recipe...much appreciated! 🙂
Sam Reddy says
I'm planning to try out this recipe today. I have the IP Ultra. Once i set it to pressure cooker mode i only have to set the time for 2 min?!!!!! Really? I don't really know what + 2 means! Sorry!
Just wanted to clarify before i started cooking. I can't wait to try it out though!!!
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Sam, great question! Yep, hit the manual button, and then click the "+" button two times to add 2 min to the IP. It doesn't mean that you're 2 minutes away from eating, you're just telling the IP how long to pressure cook your food (2 min) once it actually comes to pressure (takes about 5 min). My recipe summary says 10 min prep and 20 min cook. The 20 minutes is the IP cooking part once you close the lid, cook the food, depressurize, and open the lid. Hope that helps...let me know if I need to clarify 😉 Btw, I don't have the IP ultra, but I'm hoping you'll be able to transfer these instructions to your model.
Carmy says
2 minutes under pressure? That's amazing! I love making soup in my IP as it allows me to get the same flavour in less time without having to simmer for a long period of time. Done in just 30 minutes, this makes it perfect for the busy holiday season.
Traci Antonovich says
Yep, 30 minutes and you're eating yummy bean soup with this one. Thanks Carmy 🙂
Gloria says
Look at all the colours in this soup. Hearty, delicious and so nutritious. Perfect for comfort food season. Great for warming up with after playing outside in the cold.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Gloria! Now I want to go play in the cold LOL 😉
Debra says
Always looking for more ways to use the insta pot. Healthy recipes that use ingredients that I already have is huge. Thanks for this tasty idea....going to try it tonight for meatless monday.
Traci Antonovich says
So glad to hear it...thanks Debra! 🙂