Lemony White Bean Soup with Kale
This nutritious soup is packed with bright lemon flavor and an herby broth. It uses 2 cans of great northern beans.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 282kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion diced
- 3 medium whole carrots peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dry rosemary see note #1
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- 4 cups vegetable broth see note #2
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional, adds body
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 15 ounce cans great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups roughly chopped kale more to taste
- 1 small lemon juiced and zested
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- crusty bread, grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat a 4-quart Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and salt. Sauté until golden, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, cooking for another 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is aromatic.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, paprika, and drained beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes. I like to simmer for up to an hour, adding extra broth as needed.
- Stir in the chopped kale, lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons), and lemon zest. Season with freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir to wilt the kale. Taste for seasonings and adjust, as needed.
- Optionally, immersion blend the soup to thicken it. You can also transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and pulse it to break down, then return to the soup pot.
Notes
- Dry herbs: Can be replaced with 1 ½ teaspoons freshly chopped herbs, if desired.
- Broth: I use 1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon vegetable base mixed with 4 cups of water. The no-chicken base would likely work well here.
- Kale: Spinach also works. Frozen greens can be used in place of fresh, no need to thaw them before adding to the soup. Just simmer a little longer to bring the soup temp back up.
- This is a pretty thick soup. Add an additional ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth at the end of cooking, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 987mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8930IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 4mg
