White Bean Squash and Kale Soup

White Bean Squash and Kale Soup is one of my absolute favorite bean soups. It’s a vibrant, colorful, satisfying, nutrient-rich, sweet and savory bowl of comfort!

I mean what a nutritional powerhouse!!!

A Few Health Benefits of White Beans

Just one cup of creamy white beans like Northern white beans, navy beans, or cannellini beans contains roughly 250 calories, with 17.5g of protein, 45g of healthy, slow burning, energy giving complex carbohydrates, and 11g of fiber, with minimal fat.

In Legumes: Health Benefits and Culinary Approaches to Increase Intake, pub. 2015, NIH, the authors state, "Much evidence supports the health benefits of consuming a plant-based diet and increasing the intake of legumes. A high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts, and seeds is linked to significantly lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes."

When comparing white beans with 150g of lean sirloin, containing approximately the same amount of total calories, white beans contain nearly double the amount of iron, at 7mg (of non-heme iron), compared to 4.3mg of heme iron found in the sirloin. Plus, white beans are a great source of other vitamins and minerals, including manganese, magnesium, several B vitamins ~ including folate and choline ~ vitamin E, and zinc.

Add to that the winter squash ~ a low calorie source of sweetness, rich in fiber and carotenoids ~ and kale ~ which provides more non-heme iron, calcium and other essential minerals ~ and you have a power meal in a bowl!

Take advantage of all the deliciously sweet winter squash available during the fall harvest. Several are so sweet, they are perfect just baked and served as is. Just be sure to save some for this hearty White Bean Squash and Kale Soup!

White Bean Squash and Kale Soup Ingredient & Recipe Notes

Batch cook white beans, and use leftovers to make a White Bean Hummus Spread / Dip

Northern White Beans ~ Beans double in size after soaking; for the most tender beans, soak overnight & pressure cook with a little kelp or kombu seaweed

White Bean, Sweet Potato & Kale Soup ~ Sweet potatoes can be used in lieu of winter squash

This White Bean, Squash and Kale Soup recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients, however, don't be dismayed. It's mostly a variety of herbs and spices. Omit any you don't have. The bulk of the herbs and spices are great to stock as they provide a lot of flavor. Plus herbs like fennel boost digestion, while turmeric and other Italian herbs are great sources of antioxidants.

Also, if you do any meal prep / batch cooking ~ plan to cook a big pot of white beans when you know you'd like to make this soup. Or add some already prepared, QB Kale instead of raw kale at the end of cooking.

In a pinch? Use canned beans. I'd use 2 cans, but I'll leave whether to use 1 or 2 cans up to you. Depends on how much beans you like.

While you prep the vegetables, get a pot of water heating to make broth. I like Edward & Sons Low Sodium Garden Veggie or Not Chicken bouillon cubes, which I've purchased at Whole Foods. They are cheap, and the lowest sodium bouillon cubes I've found. As an alternative, the I also like both the Plant Strong Vegetable broth which has no salt added, and Bonafide Low-Sodium Veggie Broth, both available at Whole Foods, or here on Amazon.

I highly recommend adding White miso paste for the White Bean Squash and Kale Soup. If, however, you don't have any, adjust flavor as needed. This will depend upon the type of vegetable broth used. San-J Reduced Sodium Tamari is another good alternative.

A little vegan Worcestershire sauce adds a tangy, savory richness. A splash of sherry could be used instead.

Cauliflower is another great addition to this soup, as it melts right into it. Omit, or sub for another veggie if desired.

White Bean Squash and Kale Soup - Ingredients & Recipe Notes

The White Bean, Squash & Kale Soup recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients, however, don't be dismayed. It's mostly a variety of herbs and spices. Omit any you don't have. The bulk of the herbs and spices are great to stock as they provide a lot of flavor. Plus herbs like fennel boost digestion, while turmeric and other Italian herbs are great sources of antioxidants.

Also, if you do any meal prep / batch cooking ~ plan to cook a big pot of white beans when you know you'd like to make this soup. This step can be done the day before.

Any white beans will work. Choose from Great Northern, Navy, or Cannelinni (White Kidney) beans, or even Butter Beans could work. I highlyrecommend Eden canned beans which are pre-soaked and cooked with seaweed, and are in a BPA-free can. If not using Eden, look for salt-free options. Whole Foods Whole 365 surprisingly has among the best prices for basic, salt-free canned beans.

If using beans from a can that is not BPA-free, rinse before using. You can use 1 or 2 cans of beans, depending upon how thick with beans you like it. I suggest using 2 cans, and having plenty for leftovers.

In lieu of using raw kale, you can use already prepared, QB Kale instead. You can also chop all the vegetables ahead of time as well to save time. For more plant-based meal prep / batch cooking suggestions, check out my article, here.

While you prep the vegetables, get a pot of water heating to make broth. I like Edward & Sons Low Sodium Garden Veggie bouillon cubes, which I've purchased at Whole Foods. They are cheap, and the lowest sodium bouillon cubes I've found. As an alternative, the Engine 2 Plant Strong Vegetable broth has no salt added, and is also available at Whole Foods.

White miso paste goes well with White Bean Squash & Kale Soup. If, however, you don't have any, adjust flavor as needed, depending upon whether or not you used a veggie broth with plenty of sodium, or not. I often use a little Worcestershire sauce (WanJaShan Organic Gluten Free Vegan Worcestershire or Annie's Organic Worcestershire are both good), and San-J Reduced Sodium Tamari ~ outlined in the last two steps of the recipe.

Variations to the White Bean Squash and Kale Soup:

I like adding cauliflower to this soup, as it melts right into it. Omit, or sub for another veggie if desired.

Change up the spices and herbs as you see fit. Dried parsley can be used additionally, or in lieu of the thyme.

Try this soup with aduki beans or black soy beans instead of white beans.

Alternatively, swap out chickpeas for the white beans, and add 1/2+ teaspoon each of garam masala and oregano in lieu of the thyme, rosemary and sage.

Sweet potatoes can be used instead of winter squash.

White Bean Squash and Kale Soup with Cauliflower

Soup White Bean Squash & Kale with Cauliflower

White Bean Squash and Kale Soup Ingredients & Steps

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups dried white beans, or 2 cans salt-free white beans of choice; if using beans from a non BPA-free can, or with added salt, strain and rinse beans
4 inch or so piece of kelp or kombu for cooking, optional
1-2 tsp. cooking oil, optional
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, diced
1/2-1 tsp. cumin seeds or 1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds (omit if you don't have any, adds warmth if you do)
1/4-1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, or ground fennel ~ aids digestion, omit if you don't have any
1/2 tsp.(+/-) sweet yellow curry or turmeric
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 thin slice ginger, peeled and minced
2 celery ribs, chopped
1-2 carrots, diced small
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
About 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (can buy already cut fresh or frozen)
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets, optional
2-3 cups water heated + 1 Edward & Sons Low Sodium Garden Veggie bouillon cube (or low sodium veggie broth alternative)
Around 1 cup stock from cooking beans, or use more broth
Around 1/2 tsp. each: dried thyme, rosemary (whole or ground); and a bit less ground sage
3-5 stalks kale, de-stemmed and torn or cut into smaller pieces (can use already QB kale)
1/2-1 tsp. White miso paste per serving (Whole 365 brand is good, and quite affordable) or sub about 2 tsp. reduced sodium San-J Lite Tamari, or naturally fermented soy sauce
Optional Worcestershire sauce, and/or hot sauce
Sliced scallions, or chopped fresh parsley to garnish

White Bean Squash & Kale Soup Recipe Steps

If cooking dried beans, rinse and soak a few hours, or ideally overnight. Drain, then place in a pressure cooker, pot, or InstaPot in water to cover by 1-2 inches. Add seaweed. Bring up to pressure, or a boil. Use a spoon to remove any foam at the top. (Basic bean cooking how-to in Meal Prep / Batch Cooking article.) This step can be done the day befor

(A short soak method involves letting beans cook 1 hour, then bring to a boil, simmer a few minutes, then turn heat off. Drain, replace with fresh water, then bring back to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender. This is not my preferred cooking method.)

Heat another pot, and add oil, if using. (You can dry sauté if you prefer. I personally like using a little fat when stirring in the spices, but it's optional.)
Once hot, add onions. Cook a couple minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
After 2-3 minutes, add cumin seeds or ground cumin, yellow mustard seeds if using, and fennel seeds or ground fennel; stir, then add turmeric or yellow curry. If not using oil, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to prevent sticking.
Add garlic, ginger, celery and carrot. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Stir and let cook another couple minutes, then add squash, and cauliflower, if using, and remaining herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage.)
Add hot water with bouillon cube or vegetable broth. Cover, and simmer on medium until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add kale if using raw kale after 10 minutes. (Add more water or broth if needed to cover the vegetables.)
Stir in beans (2-3 cups fresh cooked, or 2 cans) with some of the cooking stock, (or add entire can of beans if BPA-free.) Let simmer 5-10 minutes more. If not using miso paste, add tamari, and optional Worcestershire sauce, and a few shakes of optional hot sauce. Let simmer 1 minute, then do a taste test. Adjust as needed. The flavors will come out more the longer it sits, and often tastes even better the next day.
If using miso paste, you can still add optional Worcestershire sauce and optional hot sauce. I suggest adding miso into each serving bowl, so you can reheat leftover soup the next day without destroying live enzymes in the miso paste. Add a teaspoon or so of miso into each serving bowl. Pour a ladle of soup on top. Mash miso paste into the soup with the back of a spoon. Top of each serving bowl, then stir to combine.
Garnish with sliced scallions and/or chopped parsley.

Serve this hearty, warming White Bean Squash and Kale Soup along with a hunk of fresh whole grain rye sourdough, and/or a light, peppery arugula salad with a sprinkling of dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, or with homemade cornbread.

Tis the season to enjoy these vibrant, colorful, nutrient-rich foods.