Italian Kale Soup with Cannellini Beans and Crispy Prosciutto

ITALIAN KALE SOUP: WINTRY SELF-LOVE

This kale soup with cannellini beans and Prosciutto is self-care, the Italian way.

More than any other season, winter asks us to slow down and take gentle care of ourselves.

Cuddles to comfort an ancient fear: will the sun come back? Will we survive?

Knowing this, how can we not want to pamper ourselves like toddlers, wrapped in soft blankets, with big eyes staring out of the window, asking our adult selves for a hug?

My winter love language is made of warm oil massages, herbal teas, soul-enriching activities like reading or meditating, and cooking soups that warm both body and heart.

Italian kale soup with cannellini beans and Prosciutto

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN KALE SOUP WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

To make this kale and cannellini bean soup, you can use pre-cooked beans or cook them yourself.

It all depends on whether spending more time in the kitchen feels like a pleasure.

As I said, winter is a season for pampering.

Cleaning kale takes a little patience, but think of it as a meditative activity.

Put on a beautiful playlist.

I rarely use ready-made broth—unless it’s homemade—as it tends to cover the flavor of the ingredient that should be the protagonist of the dish.

This is a kale soup.

You should taste the kale.

That’s why I often prefer simply using the cooking water with a little salt.

The kale cream can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to two days.

DON’T SKIP THE CRISPY PROSCIUTTO

Serve the soup piping hot.

Add the sautéed cannellini beans while they’re still warm.

Finish with crispy Prosciutto flakes.

They’re the easiest part of the recipe—and also the one that transforms a humble bowl of soup into something unexpectedly exciting.

rosemary sprig
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Italian kale soup with cannellini beans and Prosciutto

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2
Author Claudia Rinaldi

Ingredients

  • 1 medium bag black kale
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water with 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 can pre-cooked cannellini beans
  • 6 slices Prosciutto
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

Instructions

  1. Bring a big pot of water with 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil.

  2. Clean the kale leaves by removing and discarding the stems.

  3. Toss the kale in boiling water and cook it for fifteen minutes. Drain the cooked kale.

  4. Blend the kale leaves, the broth - or water and salt, or the water where you cooked the kale - and a teaspoon of olive oil. Taste for salt, but don't make it too sapid: you'll add Prosciutto flakes!

  5. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Stop for a minute and admire that intense and bright green color!

  6. Heat a large pan, add the Prosciutto slices in one layer, and brown, medium/low heat, until both sides have a slight crust - 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the slices and set them aside. Don't worry if they look soggy: they'll get crispier when they dry. Cut the Prosciutto into flakes - I ripped them into pieces with my hands.

  7. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and the rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes to infuse the oil.
  8. Add the beans, drained, and sauté them for a couple of minutes, medium heat. Taste them for salt.

  9. If you made it ahead of time, heat the kale cream. Pour it into two bowls. Add the beans and the Prosciutto flakes, and serve your soup hot.

Enjoy your comforting Italian kale soup!

Claudia