Tuscan Kale Soup with White Bean and Lentils

Name: Tuscan Kale Soup with White Bean and Lentils
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 + 1/2 C dry brown lentils; 3 C water; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 4-5 large, or 5-7 medium carrots, peeled and diced; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 4-6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 + 1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning; 1, 28 oz can diced tomatoes ((I use petite diced)); 6 C de-stemmed, chopped, and tightly packed curly kale; 2, 15 oz cans cannellini beans; 6 C chicken bone broth*; Optional: grated parmesan cheese for topping, French bread for dipping

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This easy Tuscan kale and white bean soup with lentils is the ultimate cold-weather soup recipe. Cozy, filling, and delicious, this Tuscan white bean soup recipe is a must try!

close up of a white bowl filled with tuscan vegetable soup. The bowl is sitting on a plate with a spoon, and slices of french bread and grated cheese is shown in the background.

Are you one of those people who worry that something healthy may not taste delicious? Let this healthy soup recipe prove your worries wrong! This soup recipe is loaded with good-for-you ingredients and creates an absolutely delicious meal too.

If you’ve been looking for a way to incorporate more plant-based proteins into your diet, this soup recipe is a great way to do this thanks to lentils and white beans. This recipe is also packed with additional protein and nutrients thanks to being a chicken bone broth soup recipe! You may be too busy oohing and aahing while eating this delicious soup to remember that it’s also loaded with lots and lots of veggies, giving you a boost of nutrients and fiber.

Add this hearty and delicious Tuscan white bean soup to your winter rotation today!

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Why You’ll Love This Tuscan Soup with White Beans, Lentils, and Kale
Ingredients Needed
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Broth Options for Tuscan White Bean Soup
Step-By-Step Instructions
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
Storage
Helpful Equipment
Recipe FAQs
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Tuscan Kale Soup with White Bean and Lentils

Why You’ll Love This Tuscan Soup with White Beans, Lentils, and Kale

Easy to make. Rinse, chop, measure, and cook… you can do it!

Great flavor. Italian spices blend with comforting chicken broth, legumes, and veggies to create a cozy and delicious dish.

Light yet filling. This Tuscan white bean soup with kale and lentils is light but filling thanks to the beans, lentils, and use of bone broth.

Ingredients Needed

Cannellini Beans – cannellini beans are super nutritious! They’re fat free and an excellent source of fiber, folate, iron and magnesium.

Brown Lentils – lentils are a nutritional powerhouse! They are low in sodium and saturated fat, and high in protein, potassium, fiber, folate, and more. Using lentils is what makes this soup stand out compared to other Tuscan white bean soup recipes.

Curly Kale, Carrots, Diced Tomatoes – lots of veggies for health and deliciousness.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Substitute kale with fresh spinach. If you’re not into kale, spinach is a great substitute! Replace the kale 1-to-1 with fresh spinach (or a different leafy green option).

Cooking note if using spinach instead of kale: do not add the spinach to the soup until the very end of cooking. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the fresh spinach to your pot and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes. Spinach has a much more delicate structure than kale, so does not need the extra time sautéing and simmering.

Option to add celery. If you love adding celery to soups, feel free to do so! Chop 2-3 stocks and add them in at the same time as the carrots and onions to sauté and soften.

Broth Options for Tuscan White Bean Soup

This recipe for Tuscan kale and white bean soup and lentils is written using chicken bone broth due to the nutritive value and protein this adds to this healthy soup recipe. However, you have several broth options:

Chicken Bone Broth – this is the type of broth I’ve recommended for your homemade Tuscan white bean soup with kale and lentils because it adds a lot of additional protein, collagen, and all kinds of nutrients to your meal. I personally like Bare Bones Broth and Zoup! Bone Broth. Using chicken bone broth makes this soup recipe extra hearty, sustaining, and nutritious.
Chicken Broth – standard chicken broth is a great option for this Tuscan white bean soup recipe if that is what you have in your pantry
Chicken Stock – stock is pretty much the halfway step between broth and bone broth. Based on how stock is made, it is generally thicker and has more protein, vitamins, and minerals than standard broth. Chicken stock is another great option if that is what you have on hand.
Vegetable Broth – selecting vegetable broth is a great option if you are wanting to make a vegan white bean soup or a vegetarian Tuscan white bean and kale soup!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Lentils. Sort through and rinse lentils until the water runs clear. Place lentils and water into a medium-sized saucepan and cook per package directions.

process shot showing tuscan white bean soup being made on the stove. showing minced garlic being added into the pot.

Step 2: Sauté olive oil, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.

process shot showing tuscan white bean soup being made on the stove. showing diced tomatoes being added into the pot.

Step 3: Deglaze your pan by adding in the tomatoes, and scrape the bottom of your pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits / residue (this is where the flavor lives!).

process shot showing tuscan white bean soup being made on the stove. showing fresh kale being poured into the pot.

Step 4: Add the Italian seasoning and the kale and sauté until the kale is bright green and partially tender.

process shot showing tuscan white bean soup being made on the stove. showing cooked lentils being poured into the pot.

Step 5: Add beans, cooked lentils, and broth and let simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes.

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This Tuscan kale soup with white beans and lentils can easily be modified to fit a variety of special diets (without losing it’s deliciousness!):

To make this into a vegetarian Tuscan white bean and kale soup recipe, replace the bone broth with vegetable broth
To make this into vegan white bean soup, replace the bone broth with vegetable broth. You will also need to omit the shredded parmesan for topping, or substitute it with a vegan alternative.
To make this into a dairy free soup recipe, do not use the shredded parmesan for topping. Or substitute with a dairy-free cheese alternative that you like.
This recipe is already written to be a gluten free soup recipe, however, if you are serving this Tuscan white bean soup to someone with gluten intolerance it is wise to ensure the broth you use specifically notes ‘gluten free’ on the package.

Storage

In the fridge: store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

In the freezer: Tuscan kale and white bean soup with lentils is also a great soup to freeze! I recommend placing your soup into individual sized, air-tight containers. You can freeze soup for up to 3 months.

Helpful Equipment

Large Saucepan -or- Dutch Oven

Wooden Spoon

Recipe FAQs

Is there a difference between cannellini beans and great northern beans?

Generally cannellini beans and great northern beans are considered to be interchangeable in many recipes. However, they are different. Cannellini beans are larger in size and shaped like a kidney bean. They have a mild earthiness and slightly nutty flavor. Cannellini beans have a thicker skin which results in a creamy texture after cooking. Great northern beans are slightly smaller than cannellini beans, and have a thinner skin, resulting in a slightly less creamy texture after cooking.

What beans can I substitute for cannellini?

Great northern beans are the best substitute for cannellini beans if you cannot find them.

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