Hearty Kale, Squash and Bean Soup

Name: Hearty Kale, Squash and Bean Soup
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 pounds winter squash, such as acorn, Hubbard or butternut, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; Salt and pepper; Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large leek, white and light green parts cut into small dice; 2 medium onions, cut into small dice; 1/2 pound semi-dry Spanish chorizo or smoked kielbasa, cut into thin coins; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes; 3 cups cooked cannellini beans, from 1 pound dry or use 2 (15-ounce) cans, rinsed and drained; 8 cups water, bean broth or vegetable stock, plus more as needed; 1 pound kale, mustard greens or beet greens, tough stems removed, leaves blanched briefly, squeezed dry and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons

By David Tanis

Published Oct. 5, 2022

Hearty Kale, Squash and Bean Soup — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating: 4(2,410)
Comments: Read comments

A substantial main course soup that usually contains beans or other legumes and lots of garden vegetables, call this soup a potage, if you like. Hard squash gives the soup body. Try acorn, Kabocha or delicata squash for a change from the ubiquitous butternut. This soup reheats beautifully, gaining character in the process, so it’s an ideal dish to prepare in advance.

Featured in: This Hearty Bean Soup Gets Only Better With Time

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2pounds winter squash, such as acorn, Hubbard or butternut, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1large leek, white and light green parts cut into small dice
2medium onions, cut into small dice
½pound semi-dry Spanish chorizo or smoked kielbasa, cut into thin coins
3garlic cloves, minced
¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3cups cooked cannellini beans, from 1 pound dry or use 2 (15-ounce) cans, rinsed and drained
8cups water, bean broth or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
1pound kale, mustard greens or beet greens, tough stems removed, leaves blanched briefly, squeezed dry and cut into ½-inch ribbons

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the squash cubes on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and coat lightly with olive oil. Roast until tender and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a heavy soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add leeks, salt lightly and let cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until softened but still bright green. Remove leeks and set aside to stir into soup later.
Step 3
Add a little more oil to the pot, then add the onions. Season with salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo, garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook for 2 minutes. Add cooked beans and 8 cups water, bean broth or vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.
Step 4
Gently stir in the cooked squash, kale and reserved leeks, and cook for 10 minutes more on low heat. Add a little more broth or water if the potage seems too thick. Check seasoning and adjust as needed.
Step 5
To serve, ladle into bowls. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

2,410 user ratings

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Comments

Melissa3 years ago

Vanbrigggle, as a nutritionist that specializes in digestive health, I can tell you that the soaking liquid from the beans is drained because beans have anti-nutrients that hinder digestion and the absorption of nutrients. This is why beans have traditionally been prepared this way. You may not notice any difference in the taste, but this is not a step that should be skipped for health reasons.

no need to blanch the greens, right?3 years ago

Quick q—the ingredient list says to blanch the green leaves and then cut… but as they boil w the soup for 10min after adding, perhaps no difference to simply cut the uncooked greens into ribbons and then add?

AEG3 years ago

I’d replace it with any one of the vegetarian or vegan sausages on sale in most grocery stores. Easiest and hits all groups. Trader Joe’s makes a vegan chorizo that crumbles so it isn’t good for some things but would be fine for this, and I’d bet any store where you live would have some sort of equivalent.

Lucy2 weeks ago

Thanks for all the tips! I made this a 5 star soup by following a lot of them. I recommend putting the kale in where it says to put the beans in and put the beans in later with the leeks and squash. Roasting the squash is extra labor but for a Sunday meal it was worth it. Roasting adds oodles of flavor. I also added fennel seed in with the red pepper flake and garlic. Andouille sausage added the smokey flavor. I also recommend carmelizing the sausage more. Like 10 minutes. I also added a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar at the very end per a recommendation. Delicious!!!

MSW2 weeks ago

To make this vegetarian friendly: I used 4 cups veggie broth + 4 cups liquid from cooking beans. I added dried mushrooms to the beans to enhance that broth. Also added smoked paprika, cumin, and ancho chile powder in an attempt to bring associated flavors to the missing sausage.

Beck2 weeks ago

This soup is a wow! I did not blanch the greens first, just cut up kale and stirred it in at the end. I added some lemon at the very end before serving and it’s amazing

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