Creamy Kale and White Bean Soup for Two

This soup is so cozy and delicious, and it’s absolutely packed with protein and nutrients. The recipe makes just over a quart of soup, which is perfect for just a few small servings or two large servings. It refrigerates for up to four days, and reheats beautifully. Be sure to let it simmer for at least 20 minutes for the best flavor!

• 

Kale and White Bean Soup Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• ½ cup finely chopped Onion yellow or white
• ⅓ cup finely chopped Carrot
• 1 Leek, green end removed, finely sliced (about ¾ cup)
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• ½ tsp. Greek Seasoning
• ½ tsp. finely chopped Parsley
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 can (14 oz.) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium Gold Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
• 3 cups Vegetable Stock
• ½ of a Lemon, juiced
• 3 cups Shredded Kale
• 2″ Parmesan Rind OR ¼ cup finely grated parmesan

A Parmesan Rind?

Weird, right? If you make any of my other recipes, you’ll know that I like to use little chunks of Parmesan a lot! Once I’ve grated the cheese into other recipes, I always keep the rind! (I’m trying to waste less food this year, and this helps!)

It’s a wonderful way to add extra flavor to soups and pasta sauces, and this particular soup tastes so good with it. You can cut the rind off of a full wedge of Parmesan for this recipe, and keep the cheese for future use! Or if you’d rather use the Parmesan cheese itself, stir in about 1/4 of a cup right before serving the soup.

I’ve seen kale and white bean soups with sausage added to them, which is a totally delicious addition! I didn’t add any to this soup, because I wanted this recipe to focus on the vegetables. If you want to add sausage to it, I recommend a mild or spicy Italian sausage. You can brown the sausage in a separate pan and stir it in with the lemon juice toward the end. I would add additional salt and pepper with caution, as the sausage should provide plenty of seasoning.

• 

• 

• 

• 

How to make this Kale & White Bean Soup:

1. Drain and rinse the canned white beans. The liquid in the can has a lot of sodium and starch, which is not necessary for this recipe.
2. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat. 
3. Add the onions, carrots, leeks, Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning, and parsley. Cook for about 7-8 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Stir in beans, cubed potato, vegetable stock, and parmesan rind.  Cover the pot with a lid, and cook until the potatoes are super tender (about 20 minutes). Note: If you would rather use grated parmesan for this recipe, wait until the end to stir it in!
6. Remove the Parmesan rind, and blend half of the soup until smooth. This is totally optional, and if you prefer a chunkier soup, just leave it as is! Otherwise, transfer half of the soup to a blender and carefully blend until smooth.  Alternatively, use an immersion blender to blend half of the soup until smooth.
7. Pour the blended soup back into the pot, and stir in the kale. Cook until the kale is softened and bright green. Remove the pot from the heat.
8. Stir in fresh lemon juice, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Note: If using grated parmesan, stir it in now.
9. Serve hot!

If you’re looking to pair wine with this Kale and White Bean Soup, I recommend:

• Chardonnay (unoaked)
• Pinot Grigio
• Beaujolais

I hope you love this recipe! If you make it and want to show it off, I would love it if you tagged me on Instagram so I could see your beautiful soup! And if you want to rate it and leave a comment below, I would appreciate it SO much. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, too!