White Bean and Kale Soup With Crispy Chickpeas

Chock-full of yummy ingredients (like cannellini beans, kale, garlic and cream), this white bean and kale soup recipe is easy to prepare, hearty and totally delicious! Topped with homemade crispy chickpeas, there are so many scrumptious flavours and textures in this easy bean veggie soup.

Regardless of the time of year, whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, I always love (and appreciate) recipes that can be made fast, taste delicious and are relatively easy on the grocery budget.

That’s why this white bean and kale soup with crispy chickpeas fits the bill perfectly. The soup itself can be made quickly, which often prevents me from buying store-bought soup. Plus, let’s be honest here, anything homemade is so much better than store-bought. Am I right?

The ingredients in this soup are quite simple, nothing fancy, just the way I like it. Heck, you likely have the ingredients on hand right now, so what are ya waiting for?

By the way, did you know that cannellini beans are white kidney beans? So, if you’re in the grocery store (or raiding your pantry) looking for beans to make this soup, cannellini or white kidney beans are what you are looking for!

Making the Crispy Chickpeas

Crispy chickpeas. I could eat those for days. You too? Honestly, I’m lucky they even made it to the soup because I ate half of them before I started taking pictures.

So, to make them, after the chickpeas are rinsed, drained and patted dry, simply toss them with some olive and salt, spread out onto a sheet pan and roast until crispy, stirring them halfway through cooking. (Refer to the recipe card below for the full details on how to make them.)

I love topping this bean and veggie soup with crispy chickpeas. However, if you want to save time or not bother with them, feel free to leave them out.

Alternatively, instead of topping your soup with crispy chickpeas, try topping with crackers or homemade croutons.

Aside from topping the bean and kale soup with chickpeas, the chickpeas on their own are fabulous snack or can be used on salads for extra crunch.

Tip: It’s inevitable that when you top your soup with the chickpeas they will start to lose their crispness (just like crackers or croutons would). No biggie, but I would keep that in mind and not top the soup with the chickpeas until you are ready to devour.

Making the Soup

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

1. Heat some olive oil in a pot, then cook the onion until softened.
2. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add beans, Herbes de Provence, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
4. Pour in broth, bring to a boil, the reduce the heat to a simmer and cook to warm through.
5. Remove about 1 cup of soup and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Pour back into the pot of soup.
6. Add kale and cream to the soup. Bring to a simmer and cook until the kale is just wilted.
7. Divide the soup into bowls, garnish with crispy chickpeas and devour!

No Kale? No Problem!

If you don’t have kale on hand (or prefer not to use), you can substitute with Swiss chard or baby spinach. Baby spinach is a lot more delicate than kale and Swiss chard, so it will cook/wilt a lot quicker.

What To Serve With It

This soup is quite satisfying all on its own. However, if you want to make yourself a more substantial meal, try serving the soup with a veggie sandwich, green salad or some crusty bread (garlic bread is delicious).

More Yummy Soup Recipes

• Curried Red Lentil Soup With Chickpeas
• Vegetable Rice Soup
• Vegetable Alphabet Soup

If you make this white bean and kale soup, be sure to leave a comment below!

This white bean and kale soup recipe was originally published November 28, 2016 but has been updated.