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White Bean Soup with Kale and Pancetta

5
/5
20 mins
15 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 02/06/2015Updated: 06/14/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Pancetta and White Bean Soup with Kale - Get the healthy, filling and delicious recipe on RachelCooks.com

Pancetta and white bean soup with kale has similar flavors as bean with bacon soup, but you can feel good about eating this flavorful and hearty soup.

White footed bowls containing soup on red checked cloth. Yellow Dutch oven with soup in background.

I’m not going to lie, soups never used to really excite me. I’d always want something else with them. But they’ve really been growing on me lately. Maybe it’s because they’re typically pretty easy to make. 

Ben’s job as a high school principal means I hardly ever see the guy. And if I do, it’s often for a quick dinner before he jets back to work for a game, a concert, or a meeting. Sometimes we tag along, sometimes he takes the kids so I can have a little time to get stuff done, or sometimes he goes back alone. 

Overhead of white footed bowl on red checked cloth with red spoon alongside. Fresh parsley leaves scattered around bowls.

So I’ve been looking for quick meals that don’t come from a pizza delivery man, that is, good nutritious meals that don’t break the bank and take forever to make.

White bean soup with pancetta and kale fits the bill. It’s a soup my whole family loves. E even ate some, and N is still in that phase where he doesn’t eat anything.

I always loved Campbell’s bean with bacon soup growing up. This soup is total different (I mean…umm…KALE), but the flavors of the smoky pancetta paired with the beans really reminds me of bean with bacon soup. A bowl of white bean soup is filling and flavorful, and has quickly become a new favorite of ours.

About this pancetta and white bean soup

White bean soup is a one pan meal. Yaay! That means less cleanup. You can have it ready in less than a half hour. Double Yaay! And the soup nutritious and delicious, too. Triple Yaay!

What’s in this soup?

  • Pancetta (bacon would work fine, too)
  • Cannellini beans, from 2 cans, drained and rinsed
  • Onions, garlic, carrots
  • Baby kale
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Chicken broth

Begin by sautéing the pancetta until it’s browned. Remove it to a paper-towel lined plate to drain a bit. Reserving about a tablespoon of grease in the pan, add chopped onions and carrots to the pan, stirring and cooking until they soften. Add a bit of garlic and stir until the mixture is fragrant, about a minute. Throw in a big bunch of kale and stir fry that until it’s wilted and softened. 

You’re almost there now. Add some broth, canned tomatoes, and canned cannellini beans and simmer a bit until the soup is nice and hot. It doesn’t matter really how long you simmer it so if you’re not quite ready for dinner yet, no problem. Just keep it on low heat until you’re ready. 

Serve with fresh parsley, if you have it. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese is really great, too! I like to serve this soup with crackers or if I’m really ambitious, corn bread or homemade rolls. 

Make this bean soup recipe your own

  • Use bacon or diced ham instead of pancetta. If you’re looking for a vegetarian version, omit the pancetta, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
  • Substitute spinach for the baby kale, adding it right before you serve it, since spinach cooks more quickly than kale.
  • Add additional vegetables, such as celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, or whatever you like. Diced sweet potato would be good, too.
  • Looking for a slow cooker recipe? Try this Slow Cooker Chicken Kale Soup with cannellini beans. It’s similar to this bean soup recipe.

Make Ahead Ideas

If you have extra time in the morning, chop the onions and carrots and refrigerate them. When dinner comes, you’ll have that part of the recipe ready to go.

This pancetta and bean soup freezes well. Make a double batch and freeze half for dinner next week. 

Storage and Reheating

Store leftover soup in a tightly covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results before reheating. Heat in a saucepan on the stove or by the bowl in the microwave. This soup makes great lunches.

Closeup of bowl of soup.

More soup, please!

Looking for more recipes like white bean soup with kale? Try one of these:

 

  • 20 Minute Healthy Turkey
  • 15 Bean Soup
  • Instant Pot Tomato Soup — creamy and easy to make!
  • Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • Homemade Vegetable Soup
  • Bean and Spinach Soup
  • Red Lentil Soup Recipe
  • Chicken Soup with Farro
  • Hoppin’ John Recipe — Black Eyed Peas & Rice
  • Creamy Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Orzo
  • Creamy Spinach and Pear Soup with Pancetta from Love and Olive Oil
  • Tortellini Soup with Pancetta and White Beans from Cookin’ Canuck

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

White footed soup bowl containing white bean soup on red checked cloth, with red spoon and fresh parsley leaves alongside.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Pancetta and White Bean Soup with Kale

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
8 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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Pancetta and White Bean Soup with Kale has similar flavors as bean with bacon soup, but you can feel good about eating this flavorful and hearty soup.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5 ounces (3/4 to 1 cup) diced pancetta
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced (about a cup)
  • 2 carrots, diced (about a cup)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 cups loosely packed baby kale (spinach would work too)
  • two (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock or broth
  • fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook until browned. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Remove all but one tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add onions and carrots and sauté until softened and onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir, continuing to cook for a minute until fragrant.
  • Add baby kale and continue to stir until kale is wilted. Add cooked pancetta, beans, tomatoes and broth.
  • Cook until heated through and serve garnished with plenty of fresh parsley.

Notes

  • Serving size: 1 cup.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 237kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 504mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. Jessica says

    March 11, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    I’m making the soup right now.  It looks like the pancetta is never added back into the soup. Is this correct?

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 11, 2017 at 8:42 pm

      So sorry for that, as well as the delayed response (we’ve been without power since Wednesday). You add the pancetta at the end. Hopefully you figured it out and enjoyed the soup!

      Reply
  2. Lyuba@willcookforsmiles says

    February 15, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Mmmm, sounds so comforting and delicious!

    Reply
  3. bev @ bevcooks says

    February 11, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    Favorite. Thing. Ever. To. Eat. The. End.

    Reply
  4. olivia - Primavera Kitchen says

    February 8, 2015 at 9:55 am

    I looooove soups of any kind! And this one looks so flavourful and healthy too that I can’t wait to try it. Pinning it for later ;-)

    Reply
  5. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

    February 6, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    I love white beans! This soup looks seriously comforting.

    Reply
  6. Erin says

    February 6, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    I can’t get enough soup this time of year. And, pancetta? Of course!
    My kids have certainly spent their fair share of Friday nights at high school football games… Meetings and anything inside, not so much. It’s nice to be able to be a little social, get some fresh air, and not worry about the kids destroying the place. ;-)

    Reply
  7. denise says

    February 6, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    I could use this today

    Reply
  8. pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says

    February 6, 2015 at 1:01 pm

    This is my kind of soup!

    Reply
  9. Mischa @ Accidental Farm Wife says

    February 6, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    YUM, pancetta. This looks delicious! And I love those bowls!!

    Reply
  10. Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says

    February 6, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    What a great combo of flavors! Looks like a great quick soup to make for crazy weeknights.

    Reply
  11. Joanie @ ZagLeft says

    February 6, 2015 at 9:41 am

    I used to always feel I needed to serve something else with soup too, but it was mostly because my kids were small and I wanted to make sure they ate something if they didn’t want soup. They’re older now and that’s all changed. I now serve soup as the main course and we love it. This soup sounds wonderful and I love the added pancetta – always a good idea!

    Reply
  12. Martha @ A Family Feast says

    February 6, 2015 at 8:40 am

    You had me at “pancetta”! :-) Love all of the healthy flavors in this soup!

    Reply
  13. Aggie says

    February 6, 2015 at 8:21 am

    You know I’m loving this soup! What gorgeous photos!! The pancetta in it sounds perfect too.

    Reply
  14. Sues says

    February 6, 2015 at 8:19 am

    I’m loving this fully loaded soup! Sometimes soup doesn’t satisfy me, but I have a feeling this one would!

    Reply

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