Soup season is all year long if you ask me! I love soup and will gladly down big bowls of it even in the ninety plus degree summer heat. What does change throughout the year is the varieties of soup that I enjoy. In the summer I might go for something light, like zucchini soup or lemon orzo soup. As things cool down I start to crave thicker, heartier soups, like this Tuscan kale soup. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll take a bowl of this any day. But I especially like it during the cooler months, which we’re now approaching. It’s super comforting and satisfying, without being overly heavy. This one is actually healthy, with beans and veggies being the stars of the show.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Olive oil. Another high-heat oil such as canola, vegetable or coconut oil can be used if you prefer, though olive oil will give your soup the best flavor.Onion.Celery.Carrots.Garlic.Vegetable broth. Use your favorite brand. I really like Better Than Bouillon in seasoned vegetable flavor.Cannellini beans. Feel free to substitute another variety of white beans, such as navy beans or great northern beans.Dried thyme. Prefer fresh thyme? Go for it, and double the amount.Red pepper flakes.Tuscan kale. This type of kale is a bit more tender than curly kale. It’s also darker in color, has elongated leaves, and a bumpy surface, as you can see in the photos above. Tuscan kale might also be labelled as dinosaur kale, Italian kale, or Lacinato kale at the store. Feel free to substitute any other variety of kale if you can’t find it.Lemon juice.Salt & pepper.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add the onions, carrots and celery. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes, until they start to soften up.Add the garlic and sauté it with the veggies for just a minute, until it becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the broth, white beans, thyme and red pepper flakes. Let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
Take the soup off heat and blend some of it. How much should you blend? That’s up to you! I’ve blended about a third of mine, but you could blend more for a creamier soup, or less for a brothier soup.
Tip: An immersion blender is a great tool for blending soup because you don’t have to take it out of the pot! If you don’t have one, a regular blender or food processor will work just fine. In any event always be super careful when blending hot liquids.
Place the pot back on the burner and begin heating the soup again and adding chopped kale. You’ll probably need to add the kale in batches, stirring each one in and letting it wilt before adding more.Simmer the soup a little while longer, until the kale is very tender.
Take your Tuscan kale soup off of the burner and season it with some lemon juice, along with salt and pepper to taste.Enjoy your soup! I love to serve mine with a big chunk of crusty bread.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover Tuscan kale soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
More Kale Soup Recipes
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