I’ve been semi-living off this hearty white bean and kale soup for the past two months. I know it’s probably annoying to hear someone living in warm, sunny weather to complain about the weather, especially when the rest of the nation is going through subzero temperatures, but I can’t help it. I miss the chill of the winter season. Yes I do. It’s hard to get into cozy weather food when it’s 78F˚ and it bums me out a little bit.
This soup is this weird ‘semi-cozy, but still okay to eat if it’s not chilly out’ type of soup, if that makes sense. I know white bean + kale soup is nothing new, but the smoked ham and white sweet potatoes are what really do it for me in this soup. I love that it’s hearty, but not heavy. I also love how the beans add a perfect amount of thickness to the overall soup, without making it too thick and all about just the beans. There’s a great deal of balance going on in this soup which is one of the things I love about it, that you get a little bit of everything. It also doesn’t hurt that this soup is pretty easy to throw together and only require a handful of ingredients.
I highly recommend making a double batch of this soup. It only gets better with time and the leftovers are SO GOOD…especially served with a crusty baguette for dunking and soaking up all the flavorful juices, right?! Now make this soup and get cozy…or not. Enjoy! xx, Jenny
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Hearty Kale and White Bean Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 ounces (about ½ cup) diced smoked ham
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- ½ to 1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into large pieces
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, with juices remaining from 1 of the cans
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Roughly mash ½ can white beans and set aside.
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add ham and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove ham from pot and set aside.
- Pour remaining oil into the pot and sauté onion, garlic and sweet potatoes, for 6 to 8 minutes, until onions are translucent and potatoes slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in kale, 1 handful at a time until all the kale has been added. Pour ½ cup of the stock into the mixture and stir together. (the steam will help the kale to wilt down initially)
- Add thyme sprigs and ham back into the pot and season with salt and pepper. Stir in all the white beans plus the juices and stir together.
- Stir in remaining stock and bring mixture to a boil. Once soup has come to a boil, lower to medium, medium-low heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Remove thyme sprigs adjust seasonings and serve.
NOTES
- *Makes 2 1/2 quarts Soup
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Your picture looks like there are regular white potatoes in the soup but the recipe calls for a large sweet potato–which is right?
The photos and recipe are both for white sweet potatoes.
i’m a vegetarian. is there something else i could use besides ham?
I would roast and mash a couple cloves of garlic. The flavor will be slightly different from the soup with ham added, but the roasted garlic will make sure the soup is still super flavorful!
I really like the texture and flavor of white sweet potatoes:almost chestnut in taste.Since I ,too, live in a balmy area,I’m thinking doing this as a cold/room temp salad…just shred the kale,omit the stock,cook the potato and add some lemon, and more oil.Thanks!!!Winter soup/summer salad.
perfect winter comfort food!
I just so happened to have nearly all ingredients for this(including a frozen holiday ham I haven’t touched since December :D). I subbed for what I had like canned garbanzos and regular old waxy potatoes. Totally hit the spot on this chilly San Francisco evening. Thanks for the inspiration!
Used roasted & smashed garlic instead of the ham. It tasted delicious. Thanks for such a great, simple to throw together soup.
Inspired! thanks for the recipe. Do you use your own chicken stock or a packaged one?