Ham and Bean Soup with Kale
Ham and bean soup with bright green kale is nutritious and delicious. This 30-minute soup packs a lot of flavor with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped fine
- 2 medium carrots, diced small
- 1 large celery stalk, diced small
- 2 cups ham, diced in small cubes
- 4 15.5 ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 32 ounce containers of low sodium chicken stock or mix up better than bullion roasted chicken base for the stock
- 3 cups fresh chopped kale or spinach
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated optiional
- sour cream optional
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot to medium heat and add olive oil and ham. Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes until browned in spots.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes until veggies start to soften.
- Stir in chicken stock, beans, thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in kale and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning. You may need to add salt and more pepper. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or sour cream if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Freezing leftovers- If you have more than enough leftover, freeze in 16 oz mason jars leaving 1-inch of space from the top. This is great for lunches. Pull a jar out in the morning to thaw at room temp and by lunch it's ready to heat.
Greens- If kale isn't your thing, add fresh spinach instead. If you don't like either one, leave it out all together.
Use up leftover veggies- This soup is great for using up leftover veggies. Corn, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes; so many options.
Spice- I love a little kick in my soup. A pinch or two of red pepper flakes adds a subtle bit of spiciness.
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.