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Butternut Squash, Kale and White Bean Soup uses seasonal ingredients to create a comforting 1-pot meal. Ready in just 40 minutes, this warming, nourishing soup will become an instant favorite.
January brings a renewed sense of optimism and vitality for the year around. It’s the perfect opportunity to set new intentions, revisit goals and ambitions, and update your repertoire of recipes.
And, if you’re also looking to increase your intake of veggies, this soul-soothing soup will leave you feeling victorious.
It’s a recipe I love for its wholesome ingredients and versatility.
A hearty blend of butternut squash, aromatics, greens, and beans will warm you from the inside out. Especially served with a little extra Parmesan and some warm bread for dunking.
How to Make Kale and White Bean Soup
All you need is 40 minutes + 1 pot to make this comforting soup.
Plus, it’s freezer-friendly and makes for some of the BEST leftovers.
The Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: A golden jewel of winter produce, butternut squash is wonderfully sweet, nutty, and nutrient-dense. It pairs beautifully with the rustic flavors of this soup. You need 1 lb. of peeled and cubed squash, which amounts to one small squash.
- For convenience, you can also purchase the containers of peeled and pre-sliced squash.
- Kale: Packed with fiber and immune-supportive vitamins, kale helps create an impressive nutrition profile for this soup. If you’re not a fan of kale, you can use chard, escarole, or even spinach instead.
- White Beans: For a one-two punch of protein and fiber, use any white bean you like or have on hand! For example, Great Northern Beans, navy beans, or chickpeas.
- Onion: You need one medium yellow onion, which you can swap for shallots or sweet onion.
- Garlic: I love to REALLY amp up the garlicky goodness of this soup with 5 cloves. You can certainly adjust this amount to your taste preferences.
- Broth: If making vegetarian, use vegetable broth. Otherwise, chicken broth also works great.
- Heavy Cream: To create a luxuriously creamy finish, just 1/2 cup of heavy cream does all the heavy lifting. Alternatively, you can use cashew cream or full-fat coconut milk.
- Smoked Paprika: A little smokiness balances the sweetness of the butternut squash.
- Cheese: Savory, salty Parmesan is sprinkled in at the end for richness.
- Herbs: I love using a rustic winter herb, such as rosemary or sage, combined with fresh thyme. This soup has a lovely herbaceous backbone, which relies on fresh over dried herbs.
The Directions
Step 1: Sauté aromatics. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Once hot, add onions and celery; cook 8 minutes, until soft.
Step 2: Stir in garlic, chili flakes, butternut squash, and fresh thyme sprigs; cook 4 to 5 minutes, until aromatic.
Step 3: Add kale, white beans, broth, water, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper; increase heat to bring soup to a low boil.
Step 4: Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 25 minutes.
Step 5: Remove thyme sprigs, and stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and rosemary or sage. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Lastly, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds and additional Parmesan, if desired.
Serving Suggestions:
I love serving this soup with crusty bread for dunking. It also pairs well with many other light + flavorful dishes. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Salad: Try this Autumn Salad with Maple Vinaigrette, which is packed with good-for-you nutrients.
- Sandwich: You can’t beat a soup + sandwich combo! Try this Chickpea Tuna Salad, which is delicious wrapped in a tortilla or made into a sandwich.
- Meatballs: Stick with the rustic theme and try these amazing Eggplant Parmesan Meatballs. These Chickpea Meatballs are also an easy option that come together in just 20 minutes.
How to Store and Reheat:
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover soup in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Gently reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of broth or water as needed to thin the soup. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, stopping to stir every 30 seconds for more even heating.
- To Freeze. Soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze soup in an airtight freezer-safe storage container. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Cozy Fall Soup Recipes
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Tuscan Creamy Gnocchi Soup
The Best Lentil Soup Recipe
Roasted Eggplant Soup
If you give this butternut squash, kale, and white bean soup a try, snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
Butternut Squash, Kale, and White Bean Soup
Equipment
- 1 5 to 7-qt Dutch oven, cocotte, or stock pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
- 1 lb. peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 8 thyme sprigs
- 1 (15-oz.) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained (or chickpeas)
- 4 cups stemmed and roughly chopped lacinato kale
- 4 cups lower-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (sub cashew cream*)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage leaves
- Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium. Once hot, add onions and celery; cook 8 minutes, until soft.Stir in garlic, chili flakes, butternut squash, and thyme sprigs; cook 4 to 5 minutes, until aromatic.
- Add white beans, kale, broth, water, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper; increase heat to bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until squash is tender.
- Remove thyme sprigs, and stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and sage. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover soup in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat. Gently reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, stopping to stir every 30 seconds for more even heating.
- To Freeze. Soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze soup in an airtight freezer-safe storage container. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
I calculate these values by hand to ensure accuracy, however expect up to a 10% variable depending on food brands.
Could I leave the veggies raw and make this in the crock pot? I’d add the cream before serving
Hi, do you have full nutritional information for this? I only see the few things listed on the recipe. I just discovered your site and haven’t seen it on any of the recipes.
Specifically looking for the saturated fat content. Thanks!
That is the best recipe for Squasch/Kale thank you Ursula
Holy sh!tballs. This is delicious! It doesn’t make sense to me how all of these healthy individual ingredients combine to form something so phenomenal. And easy! I followed the recipe exactly but only used 1/3 c of cream bc I didn’t have my reading glasses on and only now see I misread that. Will definitely make again….probably tomorrow
I agree with you whole-heartedly! I’m not a fan of kale, but it holds up so well in this soup and the taste is just great! I’ve already made this my second time… quickly went and purchased all the ingredients to make a second batch. In my head, I thought it had sausage, so I purchased that too. I didn’t add it, but it has me thinking it might work in this soup! We’ll see… 🙂
Really, really delicious soup! Used Swiss chard as that is what we grew. Followed recipe exactly. Only twist is that in addition to pumpkin seeds and shaved Parmesan for garnish, I fried up some whole leaves of sage in a little olive oil. I’m hoping this will be almost as good this winter using frozen chard and herbs frozen in olive oil because we have so much butternut squash this year!
So so delicious! I love the flavor from the fresh thyme and sage!
This is a delicious soup! I subsituted coconut milk for the cream and veg broth, but other than that I made it exactly as it said and and it’s bursting with flavor. I’m going to let it rest for the day so the flavors marry a bit more, but I’m really looking forward to dinner this evening.
Thanks for this info!! I was wondering if I could use coconut milk instead, and it would turn out good.
Hello. This looks amazing! Can I sub the ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast?
So delicious, my heart legitimately sang while eating this and it also made me feel like a five star chef. Definitely putting this into rotation for the fall and I can’t wait to share this recipe with others so they can enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you for this recipe!!
I’m eager to try this recipe, but am wondering if it’s ok to use frozen butternut squash, and spinach instead of kale?
I thought this was very good. I was a bit unsure but, the end product was great. I skipped the seeds and topped with corn muffin that I cubed and toasted in butter in a pan.
Thank you!
This is seriously one of the BEST soups I’ve ever made!! The smoked paprika adds the perfect amount of spice. I will definitely come back to this recipe over and over.
Easy and super delicious!! Thanks❤️