Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup Recipe

What Is Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup?

Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup is a rustic white bean soup from Tuscany. Onion, carrot and celery cook down with canned tomatoes before the broth goes in, so the base comes out rosy and full-bodied. The soup thickens the classic Tuscan way: part of the beans is blended and stirred back into the pot, so the body comes from the beans themselves. Sage and thyme season it, and a splash of red wine vinegar goes in at the end.

What Makes This Recipe Anti-Inflammatory?

Lacinato kale supplies glucosinolates, precursors of sulforaphane, and the flavonoid kaempferol. Cannellini beans add fermentable fiber, which the gut microbiota converts into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Tomatoes contribute lycopene, a carotenoid the body absorbs better once the tomatoes are cooked and eaten with fat. The extra-virgin olive oil in this pot provides that fat.

The recipe leaves out cream, refined flour, added sugar, refined seed oils and cured meats such as sausage or pancetta, which are common in jarred versions of this soup.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bunch lacinato kale (about 8 ounces), stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Step 1

Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 8 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the celery loses its bite.

Step 2

Add the garlic, sage, thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1 minute, until the pot smells fragrant.

Step 3

Add the canned tomatoes with their juice. Cook for 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the liquid reduces and the tomatoes darken. This step is what gives the broth its rosy color and body.

Step 4

Add the beans, broth and salt. Bring the pot to a gentle boil and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until the broth turns slightly cloudy and a bit thicker from the starch the beans release.

Step 5

Ladle out 1 1/2 cups of the soup, mostly beans with some broth. Blend it smooth in a blender or mash it with a fork. Return it to the pot. This is the classic Tuscan technique, and it thickens the soup with no cream and no flour.

Step 6

Add the kale. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the leaves are tender and still dark green. If they turn dull olive green, they have cooked too long.

Step 7

Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the red wine vinegar and the black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle each serving with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

InflammaScore

1 Good! Very low inflammation potential

Q&A

Q1: Can I use regular kale or Swiss chard instead of lacinato kale?
A1: Yes. Regular curly kale works; remove the stems and tear the leaves, and give it a few extra minutes since the leaves are tougher. Swiss chard cooks faster, so start checking after 4 minutes. The texture changes a little, but the soup stays thick because the blended beans do the work.

Q2: Can I cook dried cannellini beans instead of canned ones?
A2: Yes. You need about 4 1/2 cups of cooked beans, which is roughly 1 1/2 cups of dried beans soaked overnight and simmered until tender. Dried beans give a deeper flavor and a creamier texture, but they turn a 50-minute soup into an afternoon project. Cook them in plain water and season the soup as written.

Q3: Can I freeze this soup?
A3: Yes. Cool the soup completely, pack it in airtight containers and freeze it for up to 3 months. The beans keep thickening as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of broth or water when you reheat it. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and warm it gently on the stove.

Q4: Why did my soup turn out watery?
A4: The body of this soup comes from step 5, so skipping the blended beans leaves it thin like a broth. Using more than the listed 6 cups of broth does the same thing. If the pot is already too thin, simmer it uncovered for a few minutes or blend and return another cup of the soup.

Q5: Can I make this soup a day ahead?
A5: Yes, and it improves overnight in the refrigerator as the flavors settle. Reheat it gently on the stove and add a splash of broth if it has thickened past what you like. Drizzle the finishing olive oil after reheating, right before the bowls go to the table.

Three cans of beans and one bunch of kale make six servings, which covers dinner and lunch the next day.