This Cavolo Nero soup with white beans is such a hearty comforting hug in a bowl, you will want to dunk some grilled cheese and savor every spoonful of its rich, earthy flavors. Perfect for cozy nights or a quick weeknight dinner that warms you from the inside out!
What you’ll love about this recipe
If you are following my posts, you know that as a flexitarian I am constantly looking to add an array of vegetables in our weekly diet, almost layering them in our weekly dinners. Cavolo Nero or Tuscan Kale, which means “black cabbage” in Italian, is a Brassica veggie that is so good for you, yet so tasty, milder and sweeter comparing to Kale or other cabbages. It’s now grown in the UK, in the rich soil of Lincolnshire. Dave is not a big fan of Cavolo Nero, but he does love this soup warm with a chunk of grilled cheese made with my easy sourdough bread.
- Versatile: Swap the beans with your favorite or what’s in your pantry.
- Easy and fast to make: Simple staple ingredients and comes together quickly.
- Healthy and hearty: Packed with hearty robust flavors and so satisfying.
- Flexitarian friendly: Suitable for plant-forward diets.
Watch how to make cavolo nero soup
Ingredients you’ll need
- Onion, diced
- Carrots, diced
- Bell pepper, diced
- cavolo nero
- white or cannellini beans
- vegetable stock cube (optional)
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Chopped tomatoes
For the egg drop pasta (optional)
- egg
- oregano
- flour
- olive oil
How to make cavolo nero soup (step-by-step)
Time needed: 40 minutes
This Cavolo Nero soup with beans is such a hearty comforting hug in a bowl, you will want to dunk some grilled cheese and savor every spoonful of its rich, earthy flavors. Perfect for cozy nights or a quick weekday dinner that warms you from the inside out!
- Prep onion and carrots
Place cold water in a large pot. Add diced onion and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Sauté for flavor!
In a separate saucepan, sauté diced pepper in a little olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes then add to the pot. In the same saucepan, sauté the chopped tomatoes in olive oil for 5 minutes to enhance their flavor. Set aside.
- Prep Cavolo Nero & cook the soup
In the meantime, wash and strip the Cavolo Nero leaves from the stalks, chopping them in rough ribbons. Add the Cavolo Nero and the white beans (you can pour the canning liquid too or drain it, it’s up to you) to the pot and add a vegetable cube if you want. Simmer for 5 minutes, before adding the sauteed tomatoes and seasoning to taste.
- Finish the soup and serve
If you want to add the egg drop pasta, turn the heat down to a low simmering whilst mixing egg, flour oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour the egg drop pasta into the soup, without stirring and take off the heat. Allow the pasta to set for a few minutes before dividing between bowls, topping with more beans and serving with hot grilled cheese (cheese on toast).
Pro Tips
- You want to keep some of the vibrant green color from the Cavolo Nero, so don’t boil the leaves for too long.
- If you want to save some time, you can sauté the diced pepper and tomatoes together maybe spaced for a few minutes (first pepper then tomatoes), but do keep the sauteing step in because it makes the difference between a bland soup and a flavorful one!
- Serve hot with grilled cheese or toasted sourdough bread, it’s such a cozy meal. And if you want this soup gluten free, just skip the “rag” (egg drop) pasta or swap it for potatoes like in this savory gluten free corn chowder with salmon, I’d love you to try it!
- Add a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or vegan alternative for a creamy topping.
- Freeze any leftover soup in plastic or glass tubs for a quick meal later.
- Save the Cavolo Nero stalks for a stir fry, chop them in thin small strips and add them to my Mediterranean vegetables and chicken stir fry .
Nutritional benefits
Of course the abundance of vegetables makes this dish such a wholesome nourishing option. But for me, the hero here are the Cavolo Nero and the beans, particularly because they are great in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Feed those friendly gut bacteria happy!
Servings
This recipe yields 6 portions, enough for a small family. I happily had a portion of leftover Cavolo Nero soup for lunch at work the next day, so satisfying!
What to serve with my cavolo nero soup
- Top with more beans.
- Enjoy with crusty bread or grilled sourdough.
- Use leftover bread to make croutons for a crunchy topping. My buttery sourdough discard sandwich bread makes these lush brioche-like croutons, once they soak up that yummy broth you just wanna keep on slurping, it is ridiculous! 😅
- Serve as a hearty lunch, it is so satisfying!
- Make a grilled cheese sandwich alongside for a comforting meal.
- If you enjoy the robust flavors of this Cavolo Nero soup, I am betting you will love my creamy Cavolo Nero risotto as much.
variations and substitutions
- VEGETARIAN: this soup is vegetarian peeps! If you want it vegan, just skip the egg drop pasta.
- You can use Kale or Kalettes if you are not able to find Cavolo Nero, or even Swiss or rainbow chard will work in this soup.
- This soup is brothy, with various degrees of chunkiness, but I won’t stop you from making it creamier by blending a portion of the soup before serving or simply mashing half of the beans.
- My old folks love eating this kind of broth with pickled chilies.
- I often add a vegetable or chicken stock to the broth if I want more umami flavor.
- If you are not a fan of egg drop pasta, you can always add two or three potatoes which you have peeled and diced in around two inches cubes .
- I almost always top my soups with sour cream, because I am such a dairy freak! But of course keep the dairy away if you’re wanting this vegan.
- TOP TIP: if you don’t want to throw the stalks away, you can certainly chopped them finely and add them to the soup 5 minutes before you add the chopped Cavolo Nero leaves so they can get tender.
If you know me, you know I love eating seasonal veggies and this Cavolo Nero soup is a winter’s favorite for me. Warm and comforting and oh, so satisfying, this soup delivers on both flavor and nutrition.
- If you make my recipe, take a snapshot for your Instagram
- Post and tag me @candyflossiecooks😉🤗!
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recipe FAQ
Yes, this soup freezes well. Let it cool completely before storing.
If the leaves are large and stalks are tough, I recommend you remove them (watch the video to see how I do it), but sometimes I find really tender small leaves and you can leave them as they are just wash and chop them into ribbons.
Cavolo Nero is also called Tuscan Kale and it has a sweeter milder flavor, you can use Kale to substitute if you cannot find Cavolo Nero.
My secret to flavorful vegetable soup is to sauté some of the vegetables, especially peppers and tomatoes or even the onions, before adding the the broth or soup. Some of the sugars are released and the caramelized vegetables impart a lovely flavor to an otherwise bland soup.
Chop them into thinner smaller strips and use them in a stir fry or sauté them on low heat with plenty of olive oil and make a pesto, adding herbs, Parmesan and nuts.
Cavolo Nero Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large pot with lid
- 1 small to medium saucepan for sauteing pepper and tomatoes
- 1 Chopping board or vegetable chopper
- 1 knife
- 1 small to medium bowl to make the egg drop pasta
- 1 whisk or just a fork
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1.25 liters water
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced or sliced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g Cavolo Nero
- 250 g white beans drained or with liquid
- 1 can chopped tomatoes 400 g
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 vegetable cube optional
For the rag (egg drop) pasta
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp flour
- pinch salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Prep onion and carrots
- Place cold water in a large pot. Add diced onion and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Sauté for flavor!
- Whilst the carrots and onions are simmering, use a separate saucepan to sauté the diced pepper in a little olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes then add to the pot. In the same saucepan, sauté the chopped tomatoes in olive oil for 5 minutes to enhance their flavor. Set aside.
Prep Cavolo Nero & cook the soup
- In the meantime, wash and strip the Cavolo Nero leaves from the stalks, chopping them in rough ribbons. Add the Cavolo Nero and the white beans (you can pour the canning liquid too or drain it, it’s up to you) to the pot and add a vegetable cube if you want.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, before adding the sauteed tomatoes and seasoning to taste.
Finish the soup and serve
- If you want to add the egg drop pasta, turn the heat down to a low simmering whilst mixing egg, flour oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour the egg drop pasta into the soup, without stirring and take off the heat. Allow the pasta to set for a few minutes before dividing between bowls, topping with more beans and serving with hot grilled cheese (cheese on toast).