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Bowl of white bean and kale soup with lemon wedge and olive oil swirl
LunchDinnerVeganGluten-free

White Bean & Kale Soup with Lemon

Creamy cannellini beans, silky kale and bright lemon in a garlicky rosemary broth. 4mg iron, 10g fiber and half your vitamin C. The soup equivalent of a reset button.

4mg Iron10g Fiber45mg Vitamin C120mcg Folate
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Prep15 min
Cook30 min
Calories250 kcal
Serves4

Key nutrients per serving

By The Recipe Seeker Kitchen

Updated 2026-09-17

Ingredients

4 servings

Instructions

5 steps · about 45 minutes total

  1. Soften the base

    Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt for 7-8 minutes until soft and sweet.

  2. Garlic and rosemary

    Add the garlic and rosemary and stir 1 minute until fragrant. If using a fresh sprig, drop it in whole; you'll fish it out later.

  3. Beans and broth

    Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes so the flavors marry. Remove the rosemary sprig.

  4. Blend a third, add kale

    Blend about a third of the soup and stir it back in. This gives a creamy body without any cream. Add the kale and simmer 8-10 minutes until silky.

  5. Finish with lemon

    Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes, and serve with lemon wedges and a thread of olive oil.

Why this helps

Gentle iron and fiber in a bowl

White beans quietly deliver 4 mg of iron per bowl, and unlike our tuna salad, this one is fully plant-based, with lemon juice doing the absorption work that meat usually does. At 250 kcal with 10 g of fiber, it's the rare soup that eats like a meal and still leaves you feeling light.

All about IronAll about FiberAll about Vitamin CAll about Folate

Nutrition facts

per serving · % DV
  • Calories 250 kcal13%
  • Protein 13g26%
  • Total Carbohydrate 40g15%
  • Dietary Fiber 10g36%
  • Total Sugars 4g8%
  • Total Fat 6g8%
  • Sodium 420mg18%

Vitamins & minerals

  • Iron 4mg22%
  • Calcium 150mg12%
  • Magnesium 90mg21%
  • Potassium 750mg16%
  • Vitamin C 45mg50%
  • Folate 120mcg30%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are per serving (recipe makes 4).

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data and may vary by ingredient brand, preparation, and portion size.

Questions, answered

How much iron is in white bean soup?
About 4 mg per bowl (22% of the daily value). White beans are among the best plant iron sources, and the lemon juice's vitamin C meaningfully improves how much of it you absorb.
Do I have to blend part of the soup?
No, but it transforms the texture: blending a third of the beans gives a creamy, substantial body with zero dairy. Keep it fully chunky if you prefer a brothy soup.
Canned or dried cannellini beans?
Canned are fine; rinse them well. Dried beans (soaked overnight, simmered until creamy, about 45 minutes) give a silkier result and cost less.
Why is my kale still tough?
Strip the woody stems, chop it finely, and give it a full 8-10 minute simmer. Kale added at the very end stays chewy; it needs time to relax.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes, up to 3 months. The kale softens further on reheating but the flavor holds up well. Add the fresh lemon juice after reheating, not before freezing.
How can I add more protein?
Simmer a parmesan rind in the broth (remove before serving), or top each bowl with a poached egg. That adds about 6 g of protein per serving.
Is this actually filling at 250 calories?
Surprisingly, yes: 10 g of fiber and 13 g of protein per bowl is the combination that drives fullness. Most people find one big bowl genuinely satisfying; add crusty bread if you want more.
What can I use instead of lemon?
A splash of red wine vinegar or dry white wine. The point is acid at the end; it wakes up the whole pot. Add it off the heat so the brightness doesn't cook off.

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