Vegan Creamy White Bean and Kale Soup

A bowl of creamy white bean soup topped with parmesan cheese and sprigs of rosemary.

Vegan Creamy White Bean and Kale Soup

This vegan creamy white bean soup is easy to make and a perfect weeknight meal. Fresh rosemary, kale, and lemon juice are added to the soup with a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick. The result is a hearty, earthy, and bright soup you'll want to make all year round.

Course Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine Any

Keyword creamy white bean soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 263.5kcal

Author Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small diced about 1 ½ cups when diced
2 stalks celery, small diced about ⅔ cup
1 medium carrot, peeled and small diced about ⅓ cup
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, minced 1 tablespoon
¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes
3 cups or 2 (14.5-oz) cans cooked navy beans rinsed
3 cups water
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups baby kale

Instructions

Warm the olive oil in a medium-large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and stir to coat the vegetables. Sauté until the onions are tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, rosemary, and chili flakes and continue to sauté everything until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the beans, water, Bouillon paste and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 15 minutes to meld the flavors together.
Partially blend the soup in the pot using a stick blender (immersion blender). Puréed beans and onion creates the creamy texture for this soup, so blend it to your own preferences.
Stir in the lemon juice and adjust for seasoning. Add the kale to the pot and stir a few times until it's wilted.
Serve warm with Parmesan cheese or a plant-based Parmesan-style cheese.

Notes

Main Ingredient Tips

Fresh rosemary - I've only made this soup with fresh rosemary. If you substitute dried rosemary, use only a quarter of the amount called for and then adjust for your personal taste. Other fresh herbs work well too, such as fresh thyme and oregano.

Better Than Bouillon - you can make your own vegetable broth or use Better Than Bouillon - Roasted Vegetable Paste. The Bouillon paste adds a depth of umami flavors that vegetable broth typically lacks. If you opt for vegetable broth, you will need to add more salt.

Navy beans - Any white bean is fine. I used Navy beans, but cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, and white kidney beans are all fine.

Baby kale - This is available pre-washed in cartons in the refrigerator cases in the produce area of most markets. If this isn't available, use lacinato kale, also called dinosaur kale because of it's bumpy appearance. Don't like kale? Substitute fresh baby spinach - also found pre-washed in cartons in the produce department.

Nutrition