Cauliflower and Kale White Bean Soup


Creamy Vegan Butter Bean Soup with Kale Pesto

Cauliflower, cashew nuts, and butter beans are blended into a velvety soup, then topped with kale lemon pesto. This nutritious bowl makes a healthy and tasty vegan recipe in 400 calories. It's packed with fibres, plant-based proteins, and antioxidants, perfect for detox and weight loss.

Vegan Cauliflower and Kale White Bean Soup Recipe

Info

Nutrition per serving
NutrientAmountRDA
Net Carbs36.2 g13.2%
of which Sugars9.3 g10.4%
Fibers16.9 g60.3%
Fats23.8 g36.7%
of which Saturates3.6 g18.2%
of which Omega 30.3 g27.5%
Proteins19.6 g42.7%
Calcium150 mg15%
Vitamin A85 mcg12.1%
Vitamin C77 mg102.7%
Iron5.7 mg38.4%
Potassium1191 mg34%
Sodium710 mg30.9%
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Kcal438 21.9%
Macro split
  • net carbs 38%
  • sugars 10%
  • fats 25%
  • saturates 4%
  • proteins 20%
  • fibers 17%
*RDA based on a 2000 kcal diet;
**Nutritional data sources: USDA, food labels.
KCAL
438 per serving
TIME
30m
HEALTH

This cauliflower and kale white bean soup is an easy recipe to prepare when you need a nutritious and hearty meal yet full of flavour.

We have blended cauliflower and butter beans into a velvety soup and then topped it with kale lemon pesto for the ultimate vegan superfood bowl. Blitzing kale into pesto is also a great way to eat more greens.

Soaked cashew nuts add creaminess and richness to this soup, and a source of fibres too. Together with butter beans, these nuts also provide plenty of proteins.

Make sure you have a serving of grains, like wholemeal bread, with this dish to eat complete vegan proteins, meaning you'll cover all the essential amino acids.

If you're on a weight loss plan or looking for a detox recipe, this low-calorie recipe is definitely a must-try. A single serving provides less than 500 calories, and it covers 40% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for proteins and 65% for fibres. These nutrients fill you up and curb cravings, thus helping you eat less. Awesome!

We also love cauliflower and kale because they are incredibly high in antioxidants, and they promote those critical detox processes in your body. They also provide precious vitamins and vitamins, as well as being low in carbs and high in fibres.

Adding mustard to this soup is our little secret, and it's only for the extra flavour. Mustard can boost your absorption of a precious disease-fighting antioxidant found in cauliflowers, called sulforaphane.

With just a few simple ingredients, we'll show how to make this healthy white bean soup with only plant-based whole foods. Let's get started!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can this cauliflower soup be frozen?

You can freeze our cauliflower kale and white beans soup, like most other soups.

Our recipe is so easy to make that we suggest you enjoy it warm out of the pot. If you are into batch cooking, you can also store the excess in a glass or plastic container and place it in the fridge for three days. But if you want to cook more and keep it for a future date, then let us tell you how to freeze this cauliflower soup effectively.

First, allow the soup to cool down before storing in the freezer.

When freezing soup, we think the most critical part is choosing the appropriate container. You should opt for plastic instead of glass in this instance.

Glass is prone to shattering in the freezer if you didn't cool the soup correctly, due to thermal shock. It also makes it harder to pop the frozen stew out of the container, forcing you to wait for it to thaw before reheating.

If you can choose between a plastic bag and a sealed container, go for the latter. Do you know when you have frozen something liquid, and the plastic bag gets stuck in a fold? It's super annoying, isn't it! By using a box, you won't have such problems.

The last tip is to leave some headspace when filling the container with soup. When water freezes it expands a little and without space left, it will likely rip out of the box or bag.

Reheating is simple. After getting the soup out of the container, drop it in a deep pot and let it thaw at low/medium heat.

How healthy is this white bean soup?

If we had to give our soup a health score, it would be an A+ with lots of hearts and smileys. We made this tasty stew without cream or any other dairy products, with plant-based proteins, and two of the most nutritious and healthy winter vegetables. This recipe is good for you, no doubts there!

Keep reading if you want to learn something interesting about the ingredients we used.

Cauliflower and kale are low carb vegetables rich in fibres, vitamins, and antioxidants. They support critical detox processes in your body and thus are essential for your health and wellbeing.

White beans like butter beans make a great source of plant-based proteins with little fats. They're also high in fibres.

Fibres are indigestible carbohydrates, and they are fantastic to aid weight loss. They fill you up for long and curb hunger without adding calories.

This tasty butter bean and kale soup provides less than 500 calories per serving, plus 40% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for proteins and 65% for fibres. It's truly one of the healthiest meal you can make!

Is cauliflower, kale and white beans soup keto?

Our cauliflower and white beans soup is low carb, but is it ketogenic? Well, both cauliflower and kale are king vegetables in the keto diet. But what about white beans? Most beans are not keto because they still have a fair amount of carbs. They are not as carb-rich as pasta or rice though, and that's why beans are an excellent low-carb dish for people on a weight-loss plan.

But guess what? We used butter beans (aka Lima beans), which together with black soybeans, are accepted in the keto diet when consumed in moderation. So yes, this recipe is both low-carb and keto!

If you already consumed enough daily carbs as part of your daily keto diet, you can use fewer beans. Replace half the quantity of white beans in our recipe above with an equal weight of cauliflowers.

If you are looking for more low-carb or keto recipes, make sure to check out Smart Search tool. You can filter our recipes according to your diet, nutrients, and much more!

What can I use to garnish cauliflower soup?

Many toppings go well with our kale, white beans and cauliflower soup, because of its delicate flavour.

For people following a vegan diet or those allergic to dairy, we recommend you pair cauliflower soup with truffle oil. If you can get your hands on this delicacy, you must try it! It will add an earthy and elegant nuance to this dish you simply won't resist.

A cheaper alternative to truffle oil is a well-thought mix of herbs and spices. How does a pinch of chillies, dill and lemongrass sound? Let us tell you: it tastes great. Give it a go!

For people without dairy allergies, here are a few additional ingredients that go well with our cauliflower soup. For added creaminess and a nutty taste, sprinkle the bowl with some parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. If you are after something more piquant and intriguing, crumble in some blue cheese or Stilton and loosely ground walnuts.

How to make this butter bean and kale soup creamy?

In our recipe above, we have used the right amount and type of ingredients to make a creamy white bean and cauliflower soup. So just follow our easy step and enjoy this healthy stew.

But if you are interested in knowing other ways to thicken a cauliflower soup, or any other, then keep reading.

The traditional way to thicken stew is to use milk or cream. But if you want a creamier soup without using dairy products, then you could try one of the following options.

  • Flour: add 1-2 tablespoon mixed in little cold water and stir vigorously.

  • Starch: same as flour, add 1-2 tablespoon mixed in little cold water and stir vigorously.

  • Boiled and blended potatoes. This method is our little secret discovered by accident during one of our kitchen experiments. Potatoes are rich in starch which helps bing the ingredients and gives creaminess.

Can I still prepare this soup if I don't have a blender?

Sure thing! What we like about this soup is that it's creamy and smooth. The easiest and most practical way to get this hearty consistency is by using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. But if you don't have one, you can always go back to grandma's tech: use a potato masher.

First, make sure the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and soft. Then mash them right inside the pan. Get rid of excess water if needed. Easy!

Ingredients

Adjustments
Serves
Measuring System
Cashew Nuts100 g
Extra Virgin Olive Oil3 tbsp
Brown Onions, Large1
Garlic Clove2
Butter Beans, Canned480 g
Cauliflower320 g
Vegetable Stock1 L
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Wholegrain Mustard2 tsp
Kale140 g
Lemon Juice20 mL
Lemon Zest1 tsp

Step 1

Start by soaking the cashew nuts in water. As they soften, they will blend more easily in the soup.

Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sizzle finely chopped onions until translucent. Then add crushed garlic, drained butter beans, cauliflower florets, and half of the cashew nuts.

Cook for five minutes and then add vegetable stock and wholegrain mustard. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Onions, garlic, cauliflower, white beans in a pot

Step 2

In the meantime, let's prepare the kale pesto.

In a food processor, combine the remaining half of the cashew nuts, 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, kale, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Blitz the ingredients until you have a smooth and creamy pesto. Add a splash of water if the paste is too dense.

Then, season with salt to taste.

Kale pesto with lemon juice, lemon zest, and oil in a food processor

Step 3

When the cauliflower is soft and cooked through, remove the pot from the heat.

Then, blend the ingredients with the help of a food processor or an immersion blender until you have smooth and creamy white soup.

Next, season with salt to taste.

Blended white bean soup in a pot

Step 4

Divide this creamy white bean soup among serving bowls and top with the kale pesto. You can also garnish them with fresh kale strips.

Finally, add cracked black pepper and serve with toasted sourdough bread on the side.

White bean soup in a bowl with kale pesto

Tips

  • Instead of butter beans, you can use other varieties like cannellini beans (also known as white kidney beans) or navy beans (also called haricot beans).

  • For a boost of B vitamins, add one tablespoon per serving of nutritional yeast to this cauliflower white bean soup.