Quick Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup

Updated June 11, 2024

Quick Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
55 minutes
Rating
5(3,944)
Comments
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A hearty bean soup does not always require hours on the stove. Using the canned variety cuts the cook time down drastically for this colorful recipe, which takes no more than an hour start to finish. You can save even more time by tackling some prep while starting to sauté the soup.

Featured in: Quick One-Dish Meals, Some Cooking Required

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4 to 6
  • 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1medium onion, chopped
  • 1large carrot, chopped
  • 1stick celery, chopped (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2large garlic cloves, minced
  • 114-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice
  • 6cups water
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1teaspoon oregano
  • 1medium Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces), diced
  • A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, and a Parmesan rind (optional – but it does add flavor; use what you have for this)
  • ½pound kale, stemmed, washed thoroughly, and chopped or cut in slivers (4 cups chopped)
  • 1can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Grated Parmesan for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

182 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 1158 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and juice from the can, add another pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly.

  2. Step 2

    Add the water, tomato paste, oregano, potato, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, add the bouquet garni, cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just about tender.

  3. Step 3

    Add the kale and simmer another 10 minutes, until the kale and potatoes are tender and the soup is fragrant. Taste, adjust salt, and add pepper. Stir in the beans and heat through for 5 minutes. Serve, sprinkling some Parmesan over each bowl.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: The soup tastes even better on the second day, and will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. It freezes well. I've used small amounts of leftovers as a pasta sauce, adding a little tomato paste to thicken.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,944 user ratings
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Comments

Excellent! I added a few end-of season tomatoes, peeled and seeded, and used some vegetable broth in place of some of the water. This is a heartier version of acquacotta, the great Tuscan "cooked water" soup usually made with chard. This recipe should be part of the Vegetarian Comfort Food collection--it's really good and really good for you.

Had this for dinner tonight. I didn't have fresh parsley or fresh thyme so I used 1/2 tsp dried thyme with the oregano and a bay leaf instead of the bouquet garni. Other than that I followed the recipe and it turned out delicious.
My husband and I both loved it!

if i was going to add a protein to this -- what would be suggested ?

This is basically the recipe my mom made and called Quick Friday pasta fagiola. She added any small pasta or cheese tortellini and cooked it right in the broth. So good.

Great recipe. I used chicken broth and added lots more garlic and a shallot. Also didn’t have potatoes so used a sweet potato. Added a splash of red wine vinegar at the end, and upped the spices. Looking forward to seeing how it is after a night in the fridge!

so I went out on a limb and basically followed the recipe as WRITTEN!!! I KNOW! A first for me (usually because I'm missing an ingredient or two). It's delicious! The broth ends up very balanced likely due to the parmesan cheese rind? WHEN I make this again I'll use a can of fire roasted tomatoes just because...

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