Ham Kale White Bean Soup (Printable Version)

Hearty soup combining ham, white beans, and kale for a comforting healthy meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound cooked ham, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 4 cups chopped kale, stems removed
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans and Legumes

07 - 2 cans cannellini beans (15 ounces each), drained and rinsed

→ Liquids

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 1 cup water

→ Herbs and Spices

10 - 1 bay leaf
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
14 - Salt to taste

→ Oils

15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in diced ham and cook for 2 minutes.
04 - Add cannellini beans, chicken broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, and smoked paprika if using. Bring to a boil.
05 - Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
06 - Add chopped kale and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes or until kale is tender and flavors meld.
07 - Taste and season with salt as needed. Remove bay leaf before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means you can have a genuinely nourishing dinner without the stress.
  • The combination of ham and white beans creates a natural richness that makes the whole thing feel indulgent without any cream.
  • It tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to get properly acquainted.
02 -
  • If you add the kale too early or let it simmer too long, it'll turn into something closer to sludge, which is why timing matters more than you'd think for just this one vegetable.
  • Never skip rinsing your canned beans because the starchy liquid they sit in will make your broth cloudy and gummy instead of clean and bright.
03 -
  • If your soup tastes a bit flat even though you've seasoned it, try adding just a tiny bit of acid like lemon juice or even a dash of vinegar—it's like turning up the volume on flavors that were already there.
  • Toast a few thyme sprigs in a dry pan before adding them to deepen the herbal notes and make the whole soup taste more complex than it has any right to be given how simple it actually is.
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