Tuscan Kale Vegetable Soup

5 from 3 votes

Tuscan Kale White Bean Soup is a hearty, delicious soup filled with lots of veggies, creamy cannellini beans, ground beef, and kale. An easy weeknight dinner recipe that's even better the next day!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Cara Lanz

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped onion
8 ounces lean ground beef
2 cloves minced garlic
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped green beans, fresh or frozen
1 medium halved and sliced zucchini
2 packed cups chopped kale

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat.
Add the chopped celery, carrots, onion, salt, and black pepper. Stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender.
Add the ground beef, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground beef into small pieces. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato paste.
Add the beef broth, tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, drained cannellini beans, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves.
Simmer for 30-35 minutes to reduce the broth and concentrate the flavors (see notes*).
Add the corn, green beans, and zucchini. Simmer for 10-15 more minutes or until the zucchini is just tender (see notes**).
Add the kale and simmer for 2-5 minutes or until the kale has softened to your liking. Remove the bay leaves.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and crusty bread.

Storage & Freezing

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Place soup in a freezer-safe container or ladle individual portions into ziptop freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

*The consistency of the broth should be somewhat reduced before adding the zucchini, green beans, and corn. It should be thin and soup-like, but richer and thicker than when you started.

If it's too watery, let it simmer a bit longer. If it has reduced down too much, add more broth or water.

**Be careful not to overcook the zucchini until it is mushy. If you prefer firmer zucchini, add it a few minutes before you add the kale.

Tuscan kale is less bitter than curly kale and doesn’t need to cook for very long. Add it right at the end and simmer it until it reaches your preferred texture.

Nutrition