Cannellini Bean Kale Soup with Carrots

This Cannellini Bean Kale Soup is full of Italian flavors! It's made with canned white beans and carrots simmered in a savory tomato broth.

This White Bean Kale Soup came about as a "clean out the fridge" recipe a few years back and to this day remains one of my go-to soup recipes. It's light yet hearty, vegetarian, naturally gluten free, and full of fresh vegetables.

The weather is turning chilly here in Minnesota, which means we're entering soup season, but many of us still have an abundance of garden vegetables. One of the best ways to utilize a seemingly endless supply of late season veggies is to toss them into a homemade soup.

This is one of those soups you'll want to cozy up on the couch with on a cool fall evening. It's healthy and comforting at the same time. This soup has an Italian vibe and is made with simple ingredients and flavors.

It's prepared with fresh carrots that are sliced and sauteed in a Dutch oven on the stove top along with garlic, onions, and a jalapeno pepper. This soup is made with canned cannellini beans (also known as white beans), which is sort of a shortcut ingredient as well as kale (or hearty greens of choice).

The soup has a savory tomato broth that's flavored with Italian seasoning. It's perfect garnished with some grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese for extra richness and served with some crostini or warm, crusty bread for dipping.

Jump to:

• Are White Beans The Same As Cannellini Beans?
• What To Substitute For Cannellini Beans
• How To Add Flavor To Vegetarian Soup
• Ingredients For Cannellini Bean Kale Soup
• How To Make White Bean Kale Soup
• How Long Does Cannellini Bean Soup Take To Cook?
• What To Serve With Cannellini Bean Kale Soup
• How Long Does This Soup Last In The Fridge?
• Can It Be Frozen?
• Cannellini Bean Kale Soup with Carrots

Are White Beans The Same As Cannellini Beans?

This Cannellini Bean Kale Soup is made with humble ingredients like canned white beans and vegetables that you can pull right out of your garden or grab from a local farmers market.

There is some confusion over the different varieties of white beans out there. This recipe uses cannellini beans, which is a large white bean that has a mildly nutty flavor and creamy texture.

Cannellini beans may be dried or canned. To keep things simple, this recipe calls for canned cannellini beans. Cannellini beans are easily found in the canned food aisle in your local supermarket.

They are incredibly versatile and are used extensively in Italian cooking. Cannellini beans may be added to everything from soups and stews, dips, salads, and casseroles.

Cannellini beans fall under the category of "white beans". Other beans that fall under this category include Great Northern Beans and Navy Beans. Any variety of white beans may be used in this soup if you are unable to find cannellini beans.

To clarify, all cannellini beans are white beans but not all white beans are cannellini beans.

What To Substitute For Cannellini Beans

If you don't have cannellini beans, you can substitute any variety of white beans such as Great Northern or Navy beans.

Alternatively, you can use any variety of beans you like such as kidney or lima beans, or chickpeas.

Dried beans may be soaked and used in place of canned beans if you prefer. Check out this tutorial to learn How To Cook Dried Beans.

How To Add Flavor To Vegetarian Soup

Vegetarian soups can be super flavorful if the proper techniques are implemented and quality ingredients used.

Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when preparing vegetarian soups.

• When it comes to building flavor, it's important to use fresh vegetables instead of frozen or canned veggies. Fresh vegetables have a better flavor and texture because they stand up to boiling and do not become mushy as they cook.
• It's important to use aromatics such as garlic, onions, and celery. Make sure to sauté the aromatics in olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients to help create a base of flavor in the soup broth.
• Make sure to choose a quality brand of vegetable broth or use a homemade vegetable broth. You can also use chicken broth (store bought or homemade) if not vegetarian or vegan.
• It's important to season the soup properly with salt and pepper. Properly seasoned soup means that all of the other flavors will shine though. Under-seasoned soup is likely to be bland and taste 'watery'.
• Add an acidic element such as tomatoes, vinegar, or lemon juice to balance out the flavors.
• Garnish with grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or cheese of choice for extra richness or sprinkle on some fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or chives.

Ingredients For Cannellini Bean Kale Soup

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion (any color) (or 2 shallots)
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper (seeds removed for less heat)
• 4-5 large Carrots (equals 3 cups chopped)
• 2 15 oz. cans Cannellini Beans
• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 cups Crushed Tomatoes
• 2-3 packed cups Kale (chopped)
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Sugar (or sweetener of choice)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt (split)
• ¼ tsp. Pepper (split)
• Parmesan Cheese for garnish (optional)

How To Make White Bean Kale Soup

This soup is easy to make and cooked in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove top.

I love to use a cast iron Dutch oven or any variety of heavy-bottomed pot when making soups. Cast iron is great because it distributes heat evenly. Soup pots do not need to be fancy, but the bottom of the pot should not be thin or the ingredients may burn when sautéed and it should be big enough to fit everything comfortably.

It starts by mincing the garlic, onions, and jalapeno pepper, slicing the carrots, and chopping the kale. The veggies are sauteed with olive oil in the Dutch oven and then simmered along with some vegetable broth and crushed tomatoes.

The cannellini beans and kale are added toward the end of the cooking process and the soup is finished when the carrots are tender, but not mushy and the kale wilted.

1. The first step is to mince 6 cloves garlic and 1 onion (any color). Feel free to sub 2 shallots in place of the onion for a more mild onion flavor.
2. Mince 1 jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds and membranes for less heat).
3. Peel 4-5 large carrots and cut them into slices. Cut the slices into half moons or into quarters if they are large. It's important that the carrots are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly (yields 3 cups chopped carrots).
4. Roughly chop 2-3 packed cups of kale. You can use any variety of kale you like (I prefer curly or lacinato kale for this soup). Remove the woody stem from each stalk of kale and discard (the stems can be tough).
5. Place a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
6. Once the oil is heated, add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Sauté the aromatics for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
7. Add the 3 cups of chopped carrots along with ¼ tsp. of kosher salt. Sauté the carrots for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. The carrots should be slightly softened at this point.
8. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of crushed tomatoes to the pot.
9. Stir together and add ¼ tsp. of kosher salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, and 1 tsp. of sugar (the sugar helps to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes). Stir all of these ingredients together until completely combined.
10. Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook on a low boil for 20 minutes. The carrots should be tender, but not mushy at this point.

How Long Does Cannellini Bean Soup Take To Cook?

Cooking times may vary, but it takes about 40-45 minutes to prepare this Cannellini Bean Kale Soup.

The soup is done when the carrots are tender, but not mushy and the kale wilted. Feel free to cook for another couple of minutes if the carrots are not tender.

The last step is to add the cannellini beans and chopped kale.

There is no need to drain or rinse the cannellini beans before adding them to the soup.

1. After the carrots are tender, but not mushy, add the 2 cans of cannellini beans and 2-3 packed cups of chopped kale.
2. Stir all of these ingredients together and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
3. Feel free to cook another couple of minutes if needed.
4. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Feel free to add more kosher salt and pepper, or sugar if the soup is too tangy.

• As mentioned, you can substitute Great Northern or Navy Beans for the cannellini beans. Kidney or lima beans or chickpeas may also be used.
• Feel free to substitute any hearty greens in place of kale, such as Swiss chard, escarole, arugula, or spinach.
• Low sodium chicken broth can be used in place of vegetable broth if desired.

Looking for more hearty soups? Don't miss these!

• Hearty Lentil Soup
• Fennel Sausage Soup
• Roasted Carrot Soup
• Sausage Lentil Kale Soup
• Vegetable Soup and Pesto Grilled Cheese
• Chicken Kale Sweet Potato Soup

What To Serve With Cannellini Bean Kale Soup

There is nothing like a hearty bowl of White Bean Kale Soup on a cold fall or winter night (or anytime of the year, really).

I love to grate some Parmesan or Asiago cheese on top of this soup. It adds a bit more decadence to the dish. Feel free to omit it or garnish with vegan Parmesan cheese if you'd like to keep it vegan.

You can also garnish this soup with some fresh herbs like parsley or basil for extra color and freshness if you like.

This soup is perfect served with some crostini or toasted bread for dipping. Garlic bread, biscuits, or savory scones are also tasty options for dipping into this soup.

It's also great paired with a grilled cheese sandwich or panini like this Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich or Gouda Chicken Grilled Cheese. A flatbread like this Mediterranean Veggie Flatbread Pizza or Chicken Pesto Flatbread is a tasty pairing.

How Long Does This Soup Last In The Fridge?

Any leftover soup will keep 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before transferring the fridge for storage.

Can It Be Frozen?

Yes, soups like this Cannellini Bean Kale Soup make excellent freezer meals!

How To Freeze

1. Prepare the soup as directed (leaving off the Parmesan cheese) and allow it to come to room temperature.
2. Once cooled, place in heavy-duty freezer bags (squeezing any air out of the bag), label with the date, and freeze up to 3 months. 

How To Reheat

1. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top.
2. You can also place the frozen soup in a Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed soup pan, add some water or broth, thaw and reheat on the stove top.

If you love cannellini beans, be sure to check out this Italian White Bean Dip and Turkey White Bean Soup!

Love vegetarian soups? Check out these recipes!

• Harvest Vegetable Soup
• Tuscan Vegetable Soup
• Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup
• Root Vegetable Soup
• Orzo Vegetable Soup
• Sweet Potato Kale Soup
• Vegetable Dumpling Stew

Looking For More Vegetarian Soup Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Miso Parmesan Butter Bean Soup

Spinach Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Vegetable Soup