A hearty, veggie packed soup recipe with celery, carrot, shallots, cannellini beans, fresh kale leaves, and lots of flavor. I blend half of the soup to give it a creamy texture, and love to grate some Parmesan over the top before serving. (Feel free to use vegetable broth and leave the Parmesan off for a vegan version!) This is a small batch recipe that makes about a quart of White Bean and Kale Soup.

This soup is so cozy and delicious, and it’s absolutely packed with protein and nutrients. The recipe makes just less than a quart of soup, which is perfect for just a couple of small servings or one large bowl. 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.

I DO have an important note about this recipe: this is the revised recipe for 2025. I originally published the recipe a few years ago, and included a medium potato along with the broth in step #3. This adds starch and thickness to the soup, and if you’ve made this recipe that way before, feel free to keep that part!

I also originally included a Parmesan rind in the recipe, which was also added in step #3 along with the broth and the potato. I really love the depth of flavor it adds, but realize that not everyone just has a rind of Parmesan cheese sitting around. In the updated recipe, I’ve swapped the Parmesan rind for white miso paste. White miso paste still adds depth of flavor, and can be used in a variety of recipes. I recommend using one or the other for this recipe, but not both … it could get a little salty.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
⅓ cup finely chopped Carrot
⅓ cup finely chopped Celery
⅓ cup finely chopped Shallot, or yellow or white onion
2 cloves Garlic minced
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
½ tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. White Miso Paste OR 2″ Parmesan Rind (see notes)
1 can (14 oz.) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups Chicken Bone Broth or Vegetable Broth (for a vegetarian version)
3 cups chopped Kale Leaves
1 tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan Cheese, for topping (optional)

Ingredient Notes and FAQs

Shallot

I love working with shallots for small batch recipes, because I can usually use just one for the whole recipe, and not have to stash the remainder in the fridge. If you don’t have shallot on hand, yellow or white onion are a perfect substitute in this recipe.

White Miso Paste

White miso paste is really, truly, my secret weapon for adding depth and flavor to soups. I also use it in this Chicken and Vegetable Soup, and I use it in these Date Night Short Ribs. There’s also this recipe for Miso Caesar Dressing (which I loooove), so you have plenty of options to keep using this once you have it in your refrigerator! I I always have a tub of this one in my refrigerator, too. You can usually find it in the refrigerated section in the veggie department. I’ve also found it near the vegan cheese at one of my local stores. (Note: that link goes to the Whole Foods website, but you can find it at many grocery stores).

Cannellini Beans

Cannellini beans are easy to find, cheap, and perfect for soups. They’re Italian white beans and can be substituted with Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans in this recipe.

Kale

One half of a bunch of kale is all you need for this recipe. You can use Lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale or Dinosaur kale), which is pretty tender, and has a very mildly sweet flavor that is great in this soup. I’ve also used Curly kale as a substitute. Whichever kale you prefer, be sure to remove the tough stems before using. Chop the leaves to your desired size, then use for this soup. Note: you could try to substitute fresh baby spinach or chopped Swiss Chard for the kale if you like! I haven’t personally tried it, and the flavor would definitely be different, but I always encourage a little adventure if you’re feeling it. 😉

White Miso Paste OR a Parmesan Rind

The original version of this recipe called for a Parmesan rind. I really love that version, but realize that isn’t exactly convenient for most of us. I have since changed the recipe to use white miso paste instead of Parmesan rind. I also suggest grating good Parmesan before serving (I ALWAYS use a microplane for this), which is generally an easier approach to adding the Parmesan flavor.

However, if you love the original version of this recipe, toss a small piece (like 1″ – 2″) of a Parmesan rind into the soup along with the beans and vegetable broth in step #3. Let the rind simmer with the soup, then remove it before blending half of it.

Keeping the rinds from Parmesan cheese is a wonderful way to add extra flavor to soups and pasta sauces, and this particular soup tastes so good with it. You can cut a 1″-2″ section of the rind off of a full wedge of Parmesan for this recipe. Keep the cheese for grating over the top of this soup, and for future use! Or just go with the new version of the recipe for an easier approach with the white miso paste. Your call. 🙂

A ceramic dutch oven with a small portion of kale and white bean soup in it, with a wooden spoon resting inside.

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 Kale and White Bean Soup

A ceramic pot with chopped vegetables in the bottom over it.

Step One: Cook the Veggies. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped carrot, celery, shallot, and a pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

A woman's hand sprinkling a small bowl of seasonings into a ceramic pot of vegetables.

A woman's hand stirring a wooden spoon in a pot of cooked vegetables.

Step Two: Add Flavor. Stir in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and white miso paste (if using – I recommend using white miso paste in this step, OR a 1″-2″ section of Parmesan rind in the next step). Cook for another minute.

A woman's hand pouring a can of vegetable broth into a pot of soup.

Step Three: Add Beans and Broth (and Parmesan rind, if using). Stir the drained and rinsed beans into the pot, followed by the broth and Parmesan rind (if using). Cover the pot with a lid, and let the soup simmer for about twenty minutes.

The container from a mini food processor full of pureed soup being poured into a ceramic pot of more soup.

A woman's hand using a wooden spoon to stir a pot of soup.

Step Four: Make it Creamy: Remove the Parmesan rind (if using), 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.

A small white bowl of kale leaves being dumped into a ceramic pot of soup.

A woman's hand squeezing a lemon wedge into a pot of soup.

Step Five: Add Greens. Pour the blended soup back into the pot. Add kale and fresh lemon juice, then cook, stirring frequently, until the kale is softened and bright green (about 2-3 minutes). Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove the pot from the heat.

Step Six: Serve! Divide the warm soup between two warm bowls, then use a microplane to grate Parmeasn Reggiano over the top of the soup. Serve hot and enjoy.

A ceramic bowl full of creamy white bean and kale soup with a spoon resting in the bowl.

What to Serve with White Bean Kale Soup:

Crusty Bread
Caesar Salad with this Miso Caesar Dressing
Side Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing OR Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Cozy up with Wine:

Chardonnay (unoaked)
Pinot Grigio
Beaujolais

I hope you love this recipe! If you need to increase the amount of soup in the recipe, there is a little slider bar in the recipe card below that you can move to increase the amount of servings. The ingredient amounts will shift along with this, so you don’t have to do any mental math with it. 🙂

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!

xx Sara