White Bean and Kale Soup

White Bean and Kale Soup is one of my favorite slow cooker soups, and it’s so delicious served with shaved Parmesan! This is a n amazing vegetarian soup that’s loaded with flavor; see tips in the post for making a version that’s lower in carbs.

PIN White Bean and Kale Soup to try it later!

White Bean and Kale Soup can cook all day in the slow cooker, and this is a delicious and easy vegetarian soup! And I whine about the cold weather, but I do love make cold-weather dishes, especially soup. Some of my favorite soups are ones where I start with an idea and add things until it tastes good, but even when I have a recipe to start with, I always improvise for the soups I make. I can’t help myself!

For this recipe I increased the amount of stock (and might use even more next time) and added some dried Italian herbs. And (very important!) I served the soup with shaved Parmesan Cheese instead of croutons, for a meatless soup thats flavorful, warm, and filling.

And this white bean soup with kale is a perfect soup recipe to add some Parmesan rinds if you have them. Let the Parmesan melt into the soup while it cooks all day, and that will make this tasty meatless soup even more flavorful.

I hope you try this soup if you’re a fan of kale and like making soup in the slow cooker! See ideas for making a version of this soup that’s lower in carbs if that’s important to you.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• onions
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
• canned white bean beans 
• canned petite diced tomatoes with liquid
• finely chopped kale
• vegetable stock or canned vegetable broth (affiliate link)
• fresh sage leaves, or dried sage
• Parmesan rind to add flavor (optional, but highly recommended)
• freshly shaved Parmesan, to garnish (optional, but highly recommended)

What beans did I use for White Bean and Kale Soup?

I made this soup with Cannellini Beans (affiliate link), which are white kidney beans often used in Italian cuisine. Any type of white beans will be fine, but I do think the Cannellini Beans are extra flavorful in a soup like this.

What if you don’t want Parmesan Cheese?

I’m tagging this recipe vegetarian even though I realize the Parmesan Cheese I recommend for flavor is not strictly vegetarian. If you’re avoiding Parmesan, use any vegan cheese you prefer.

What if you don’t want Kale in the soup?

If you’re not a fan of the bitter assertive flavor of kale you can use other greens like collards, Swiss Chard, or Spinach in this soup. The cooking time might be slightly shorter, especially for spinach.

How many carbs are in White Bean and Kale Soup?

This meatless soup has 30 net carbs per serving and 36 grams of protein. To make a version of this soup with fewer carbs, use one can of beans and more kale. You could also add two cups of another low-carb vegetable like chopped cauliflower, chopped red bell pepper, or chopped cabbage to replace the can of beans.

What size Slow Cooker did I use?

I used my Crock-Pot 5-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this White Bean and Kale Soup recipe.

How to Make White Bean and Kale Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I know some people hate to pre-cook things for the slow cooker, but cooking the onions and garlic with the Italian Seasoning for a few minutes really will increase the flavor.
2. I used the bowl attachment of my Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to coarsely puree the 2 cans of Cannellini beans, but after I wondered why I didn’t just puree them in the slow cooker with the immersion blender. You can also use a blender or food processor.
3. Finely chop 8 oz. kale leaves and give them a wash in the salad spinner if you’re using garden kale.
4. Put the onion mixture, pureed beans, canned tomatoes with juice, stock or broth, chopped kale, and sage leaves into the slow cooker (with Parmesan rinds if using). I used fresh sage leaves from my garden, but dried sage would also work.
5. Cook for about 4 hours on HIGH or 8-10 hours on LOW slow cooker setting.
6. The soup won’t win any beauty contests, but it was delicious!
7. And I highly recommend serving the White Bean and Kale Soup with shaved Parmesan!

Make it a Vegetarian Meal:

This delicious soup would be amazing served with a low-carb bread like Olive Bread, Low-Carb High-Fiber Savory Muffins, or Savory Almond Flour Bread.

Want more soup with beans?

If you’re a fan of soup with beans, check out Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Bean Soup Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site! This recipe was featured in that collection.

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 8 servings

White Bean and Kale Soup

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

This White Bean and Kale Soup is a vegetarian Slow Cooker soup, but I highly recommend serving the soup with shaved Parmesan! And if you have some Parmesan rinds to add to the soup while it cooks, that will really kick up the flavor1

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped small
• 2 T minced garlic (or less if you’re not a garlic fan)
• 2 tsp. Italian Herb Seasoning (contains oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary)
• two 15 oz. cans Cannellini beans (see notes)
• one 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 8 oz. finely chopped kale, washed if needed (see notes)
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 4 fresh sage leaves, or 1/2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
• Parmesan rind to add flavor (optional)
• freshly shaved Parmesan, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan; add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes or until they are just starting to brown.
2. Add the garlic and Italian Seasoning and cook 1-2 minutes more, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
3. Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray; then put onions and garlic into the slow cooker.
4. While the onions are cooking use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the Cannellini beans with the juice, keeping them a little chunky if you prefer.  (If you’re using freshly-cooked beans I would add about 1/4 cup water.)
5. Finely chop the kale (cutting away thick center ribs if you have them) and wash kale in the salad spinner if you’re using garden kale.
6. Put the pureed beans, chopped kale, vegetable stock, canned tomatoes and juice, and sage leaves (or dried sage) into the slow cooker with the onion mixture.
7. Add one or two pieces of Parmesan rind if desired for extra flavor.
8. Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
9. Serve the soup hot, with strips of Parmesan shaved over if desired.
10. White Bean and Kale Soup will keep for at least a week in the fridge, and it freezes well.

Notes

I used a 5-Quart Slow Cooker for this recipe.

You can cook the soup for 8-10 hours on low if you prefer.

You can use 4 cups cooked beans and a little water if you prefer.

I used about 8 cups finely chopped kale.

This soup recipe adapted from The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 467Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 91mgSodium 475mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 9gSugar 7gProtein 36g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
White bean and Kale Soup is high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan but see tips above for making a version that’s lower in carbs. Even though they’re a low-glycemic ingredient, dried beans are a limited food for Phase One of the original South Beach Diet, but in a soup like this with lots of other ingredients you can have a normal serving. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This vegetarian slow cooker soup with white beans, tomatoes, and kale was first posted in 2012. Back in those days I made it several times for my annual New Year’s Day soup party, and it was always a hit. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2025.

Share This: