Curried Red Bean Soup With Kale

By Zaynab Issa

Published May 30, 2025

Curried Red Bean Soup With Kale
Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(266)
Comments
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This riff on classic Italian minestrone draws inspiration from rajma and maharage nu shaak, two red kidney bean curries with spiced, aromatic gravies, typically made with tomatoes (rajma is Hindi for kidney beans, and maharage is Swahili for beans). This version offers a perfect use case for black mustard seeds, which bloom in the oil to add a sharp, earthy flavor before the onions and garlic are added. This, along with a few other warming spices, helps create an aromatic tomato base for the kidney beans, pasta and greens. Using whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) is key to achieving a brothy soup that still has body, but crushed tomatoes will work in a pinch.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings 
  • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving 
  • 1tablespoon black mustard seeds (see Tip)
  • 1large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4garlic cloves, finely grated  
  • Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander 
  • ½teaspoon ground turmeric 
  • ½teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder, plus more for serving (or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper and ¼ teaspoon paprika) 
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano 
  • 4cups vegetable stock 
  • 1(14-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (see Tip)
  • ½cup ditalini, or other short pasta
  • 5ounces baby kale or baby spinach
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

166 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 709 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a large pot over medium-high. Add oil and mustard seeds and cook until the mustard seeds begin to pop, 30 to 60 seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Carefully add onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt (the oil may sizzle). Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric and chile powder and cook, stirring to coat the onion and garlic, until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the tomatoes (and any juices) and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a wooden spoon or masher to crush the tomatoes into small pieces, leaving a few larger pieces for texture if desired. Add stock and kidney beans, stir and bring to a boil.

  4. Step 4

    Once boiling, add ditalini and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally to make sure ditalini doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, until pasta is cooked through and soup has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Just before serving, stir in kale to wilt. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan if desired and a pinch of chile powder.

Tips
  • Black mustard seeds add a subtle nutty flavor to dishes when sizzled and popped in oil or ghee. Find them at larger supermarkets, South Asian markets or online.
  • Kidney beans can be replaced with white beans or chickpeas.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
266 user ratings
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Comments

Rachel S

I made this for a light supper with friends last night. It was easy and delicious! Everyone enjoyed it. The only change I made was to cook everything except the pasta and greens in advance so that the flavors had a chance to meld. Then, before serving, I added 1/4 C of water and proceeded with the pasta and greens. Delicious! I served the soup with buttermilk cheddar biscuits. I will be making this again!

Murli Koushik

I love this recipe! I made it today for our family lunch, and it turned out really well. I use spinach instead of kale, and that is pretty much the only substitution I made. Now I'm trying to memorize the recipe so that I can make it again without referring to the excellent step-by-step instructions from Zaynab Issa. :)

Cheryl Keown

I loved this. It was a little blander than I expected during the cooking, but was very tasty when finished. It was also very filling.

drgonzo777

I just made this. Four stars and could be better. I normally follow the recipe precisely the first time I prepare the dish. Today, after reading the comments and using my judgement, I made some changes. 1. Except for salt and mustard seed, I doubled all of the spices as suggested by some reviewers. This was good. 2. I browned 1/2 pound of andouille sausage. 3. To that, I added the mustard seeds. 4. Then the spices, four cups of water, and 3/4 cup of farro. 5. When the farro was nearly cooked, I added the crushed tomatoes. 6. After simmering this for almost ten minutes, I added a can of pinto beans that had been drained and rinsed. I don’t care for kidney beans. 7. After several minutes, I added five ounces of baby spinach. My store was out of kale which I would have preferred. 8. Served with shaved Parmesan. I thought the soup was more thin than I would prefer. Of course, this is a very subjective comment. Next time, either three cups of water instead of four, or more farro and beans. The soup tasted really good on this very cold night.

Mike

I made this recipe tonight and it was a hit. I would say that tomato is the predominant flavor so I think the name on this recipe might be better to reflect this. Regardless, it was very good and easy to make.

Flora

I only had adult kale so I chopped it finely (after removing ribs) and added it with the pasta (whole-wheat elbows). It worked well. The beans and pasta sort of got lost in the vegetabley abundance, but the soup tastes good and the texture is excellent.

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