Ham and Bean Soup with Kale

This Ham and Bean Soup with Kale is a quick and easy meal that tastes like it’s been cooking for hours. This soup uses convenient items like canned white beans and pre-ready ham so you can have a hearty, healthy, and delicious bowl of soup fast!

Post, recipe, and images updated on 1/13/2025

What You’ll Love About Ham and Bean Soup with Kale:

Growing up, my mom would soak beans overnight and slow cook them for hours with a ham hock. She would call it “a pot of beans”. It was the absolute best soup and so cozy.

I don’t quite have the patience my mom had to wait for a great bowl of soup, so I created this easy, AND FAST, Ham and Bean Soup with Kale.

It has all the wonderful flavors and goodness of my moms bean soup, only a fraction of the time to make. It’s healthy with tons of veggies and beans. The broth is outstanding with rich smoky flavor from the ham.

This soup is perfect for a chilly day and is guaranteed to warm up your bones and your soul.

If you love beans you’ll also love my Italian Turkey Sausage Soup with White Beans and Kale. Another fast and easy soup with comforting and delicious flavor.

Simple Ingredients:

• Oil- I use olive oil to help sauté the veggies.
• Veggies- Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and kale.
• Ham– I like to use pre-cut ham to make this super fast and easy.
• Beans– White navy beans are a nice choice because they are soft and don’t have a thick skin.
• Seasonings– Dried thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes.
• Chicken stock– My favorite brand is the Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base. It has a rich, savory flavor.
• Herbs– Fresh parsley
• Parmesan cheese- Optional topping

Substitutions and Add-Ins:

How To Make Ham and Bean Soup with Kale:

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Heat a large soup pot to medium heat with olive oil and add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until carrots are tender. Stir in garlic and seasonings and sauté another couple minutes.

Step Two. Add ham, beans, and chicken broth to the veggies. Bring to a boil and place the lid on. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20-minutes. Add the kale and cook another 5-8 minutes. Stir in parsley, serve, and garnish with parmesan cheese.

Tips:

Common Questions:

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• White Bean Chicken Chili
• Mom’s Hamburger Soup
• Hearty Vegetable Soup with Couscous
• Quick Minestrone Soup
• Beefy Slow Cooker Chili

Ham and Bean Soup with Kale

This Ham and Bean Soup with Kale is a quick and easy meal that tastes like it’s been cooking for hours. This soup uses convenient items like canned white beans and pre-ready ham so you can have a hearty, healthy, and delicious bowl of soup fast!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 260kcal

Equipment

• 1 large soup pot with fitted lid

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped fine
• 1 cup carrots diced small, about 2 medium carrots
• 1/2 cup celery, diced small, about 2 stalks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 2 cups diced ham
• 2 (15.5) ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups fresh chopped kale
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated optiional

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil to medium heat in a large soup pot. Add 3/4 cup onion, 1 cup carrots, and 1/2 cup celery. Sauté veggies until carrots are slightly tender, about 5-minutes.
• Stir in 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Sauté for 1-minute.
• Add 2 cups ham, 2 cans white beans, and 7 cups chicken broth to the veggies. Stir and turn the heat up to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Place the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 20-minutes stirring a few times.
• Stir in 3 cups of kale and place the lid back on for 5-8 minutes or until kale is wilted. Stir in parsley and serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

Tips:

 

• For a thicker soup, reserve 3/4 cup beans and blend or mash them with a fork. Add to the soup mix for a thicker and creamier soup.
• Don’t add any salt. Ham is already plenty salty and the chicken stock is also seasoned with salt. You can always add it at the end after the cooking time if you feel it needs seasoned.

 

Substitutions and Add-Ins:

 

• Veggies- Use other veggies like potatoes, corn, or green beans. If you don’t like kale, use spinach.
• Ham- This is a great recipe to use up leftover ham from the holidays or any occasion.
• Seasonings and herbs- Add in your favorite earthy and savory seasonings and herbs. Herbs de Provence is a well rounded dried herb, perfect for soups. Rosemary, sage, or adding a bay leaf will really amp up the flavor. You can do dried or fresh.

 

Common Questions: 

 

Does ham and bean soup freeze well?

Yes! I love freezing this soup. It reheats really well. Make sure it is completely cooled before you add it to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 4 months.

Can I use something other than ham?

Yes, you can use a smoked sausage of your choice. I love the smoked turkey sausage rope. Cut sausage into bite size pieces.

 

Nutritional facts for this recipe include 1 1/2 cups soup with 1 1/2 tablespoon parmesan cheese. 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1857mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5757IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 5mg

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