• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Sourdough
      • Gluten-Free Sourdough
      • Sourdough Discard
    • Seasonal Recipes
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
Vanilla And Bean

Vanilla And Bean

Sweet and Savory Vegetarian

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • About
    • Subscribe
    • A little bit about me…
    • Contact
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dish / Soups/Stews/Chili / Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup

Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup

By Traci · Jump to Recipe ·
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my affiliate policy.

A quick to pull-together soup with fennel, ample garlic and a squeeze of lemon. This hearty and nourishing White Bean Fennel Soup Recipe is so satisfying on its own with a thick slice of crusty sourdough to make a cozy meal. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.

Fennel soup in a bowl with lemon and a piece of sourdough bread.

This recipe was first published December 2017 and updated October 2022. The recipe remains unchanged.

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love This Fennel Soup Recipe
  • Ingredients You’ll Need
  • Quick Guide: How to Make Vegan White Bean and Fennel Soup
  • Recipe FAQs
  • A Few Recipe Tips
  • More Vegetarian Soup Recipes to Love
  • Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Fennel Soup Recipe

There’s so much to love about this vegetarian and vegan fennel soup recipe. Rich and complex flavor comes from the simplest ingredients! Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Simple to Make – a one pot meal with just eight basic ingredients.
  • Nourishing Ingredients – a soup we can feel good about eating.
  • Cook and Prep Time – this recipe can be on the table in just under 30 minutes.

For those on the fence about soup with fennel, this is a recipe I recommend starting with. Cooking truly transforms the flavor of fennel into a rich, sweet and complex tasting vegetable.

Ingredients for Kale, White Bean and Fennel Soup Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need

With just a few simple pantry staples and a short list of fresh ingredients, this fennel soup recipe is easy on the wallet. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe (see recipe card for details):

  • Olive Oil – extra virgin for sautéing the veggies.
  • Onion – yellow to add loads of flavor.
  • Fennel Bulb – fresh fennel with fronds attached. While the fronds will only be used for garnish in this , they’re quite tasty in green smoothies.
  • Garlic – fresh fat garlic bulbs, minced.
  • Kale – I like Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale in this recipe, but any kale will do.
  • Vegetable Broth – a good veggie broth is key here. My preferred brand is Better than Bouillon.
  • Cannellini Beans – cooked white beans (aka white kidney beans).
  • Lemon Juice – to brighten and balance the flavors.

If you’re a fennel fan, you’re going to love my Roasted Fennel Mushroom Gratin!

A series of four images of chopping veggies preparing for the white bean and fennel soup recipe.

Quick Guide: How to Make Vegan White Bean and Fennel Soup

Get out your Dutch oven or large pot and wooden spoon. We’re making a rich and tasty soup with fennel! (see recipe card for details):

  • First, dice the onion and fennel and saute’ in a bit of olive oil.
  • Second, destem, chop and wash the kale, then add it to the soup pot along with minced garlic – I always add a little extra!
  • Next, pour in the veggie broth and cook the soup until it’s warmed through.
  • Last, remove from heat and stir in a squeeze of lemon juice.

Add plenty of fresh ground pepper and taste for salt. Ladle into soup bowls and share with lemon wedges and warm, crusty Sourdough Bread for sopping up all the delicious, infused broth.

Preparing a soup with fennel recipe in a Dutch oven. 1. sauted onions and fennel 2. Kale is added to the soup pot. 3. Broth being poured into the Dutch oven. 4. White beans are added to the white bean and fennel soup.

Recipe FAQs

What Part of Fennel is Used for Soup?

For this soup recipe, we’re chopping the bulb, the white part of fennel and saving the fronds for garnish.

How to Chop Fennel For Soup:

We’re chopping the fennel bulb into small, bite size pieces. First you’ll slice the fronds off at the top of the fennel bulb, discarding the tough parts of the fronds that attach it to the bulb. Keep the fronds for garnish and smoothies! Remove the brown edged, tough, outer layers of the bulb and chop off the base of the bulb. Slice the bulb into thin pieces, and then cut those pieces crosswise – like an onion.

What Does Fennel Taste Like in Soup?

Cooking fennel softens its otherwise sharp, raw flavors. Since we’re sautéing the fennel, its flavor is transformed into sweet, buttery and complex. It’s quite nice.

Vegan Fennel Soup in a Dutch Oven.

A Few Recipe Tips

  • Make Ahead – this is this kind of soup that’s perfect for the work week. Its flavor improves with a little time.
  • Variation – I adapted this soup with fennel recipe from BonAppetit Magazine where they use Mustard Greens in lieu of Kale. When I can find Mustard Greens, I use them in this recipe. They are fabulous! But, they can be hard to find.
  • Garlic and Lemon – if you love these two together, you can get away with adding more in this recipe.

More Vegetarian Soup Recipes to Love

  • White Bean Cabbage and Potato Soup
  • Chickpea Noodle Soup
  • Lentil Mushroom Cabbage Roll Soup
  • Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Close up of Vegan Fennel Soup in a Dutch Oven.
Print Recipe

Lemon-Garlic White Bean, Kale and Fennel Soup Recipe

Total Time:30 minutes
Servings:4 Servings
Calories:169kcal
Author:Traci York | Vanilla And Bean
A quick to pull-together cozy meal with rich flavor. This hearty and nourishing White Bean Fennel Soup Recipe is so satisfying on its own with a thick slice of crusty sourdough to make a cozy meal. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 cup (100 grams) Yellow Onion diced, about one medium
  • 1 cup (135 grams) Fennel Bulb* (see note) fronds trimmed and reserved, bulb sliced thin and chopped, about one large fennel
  • 3 teaspoons Garlic minced, about 4-5 medium cloves
  • 1/2 pound (215 grams) Bunch Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale stems removed, and chopped into bite size pieces (about 1 big bunch)
  • 2 cups (15 ounces / 425 grams) Cannellini Beans (aka white kidney beans) cooked, or one can, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups (875 grams) Vegetable Broth ** (see note)
  • 1 cup (237 grams) Water adjust up if a souper soup is desired
  • 2 Lemons
  • Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a Dutch oven or medium stock pot, add the olive oil. Heat to shimmering and stir in the onions and fennel. Cook on medium low for about 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the onions and fennel have softened. 
  • Add the garlic and kale, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook on medium low until the kale is wilted, stirring a few times, about 3 minutes. 
  • Add the beans, broth and water, stirring gently so the beans don’t break. Bring to a simmer, then turn to low. Cook to warm through about 5-10 minutes. 
  • Finish with a squeeze of half a lemon, plenty of fresh ground pepper and fine sea salt to taste. Serve with more lemon, chopped fennel fronds and crusty Sourdough Bread.

Notes

*If purchasing a fennel bulb with the fronds in tact, you’ll have a lot of fennel fronds left over. In my attempt to avoid food waste, I’ve been using the fennel leaves and stalks in green smoothies, a little at a time. Their flavor is mild and they add a host of nutritional benefits otherwise missed!  
**Have you tried Better Than Bullion Vegetable Base? It’s the best veggie broth in both value and flavor. Plus the glass jar is recyclable! 
This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit. 
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1180mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6207IU | Vitamin C: 88mg | Calcium: 237mg | Iron: 3mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!

You might also like:

French Lentil Soup with Coconut milk in a bowl with a side of naan.

Coconut Curried French Lentil Soup

Bowl of Cabbage White Bean Soup with bread on the side.

White Bean Cabbage Potato Soup

Overhead shot of Cauliflower-Potato Red Lentil Curry shared with rice and Naan.

Cauliflower-Potato Red Lentil Curry

vegetarian and vegan ramen in a bowl with chop sticks pulling noodles out of the bowl, garnished with onions and sesame seeds with noodles being picked up with chop sticks.

Mushroom Ramen Noodles with Miso and Spinach

Shares2kPinShareYummly

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive free sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review the Vanilla And Bean privacy policy.
Previous Post: « Easy Stewed Pears
Next Post: Apple Cranberry Cobbler »

Reader Interactions

16 comments

    Share Your Thoughts! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Avatar for AmandaAmanda

    January 17, 2023 at 5:08 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent! I blended it with an immersion, added extra lemon and some hot sauce. Looks and has the mouthfeel of cream of broccoli. Next time I’ll double the beans so it’s a thicker consistency. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      January 17, 2023 at 9:40 pm

      hi Amanda! Thank you for your tips, star rating and giving the recipe a go! YESssss for doubling the beans!

      Reply
  2. Avatar for Janice ShortJanice Short

    November 19, 2022 at 2:16 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for lunch today and loved it, Traci! I never had fennel in soup before and really enjoyed it. I was able to eat two bowls (could not have stopped me lol) which I would not have done if using potatoes instead fennel. Great results for something so quick and easy. I was out of kale but had a large beautiful bunch of beet greens and they were awesome delicious. Thanks for a recipe that is going into my regular rotation!

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      November 21, 2022 at 1:01 pm

      Hi Janice! I’m super happy to read your note. HOORAY for fennel in soup! The beet greens sound absolutely delicious – what a great idea! Thank you for your note, star rating and tip!

      Reply
  3. Avatar for SarahSarah

    November 1, 2022 at 1:37 pm

    Thank you for this wonderful soup! I have made this a few times and now consider it a staple in our home. I love the flavor of fennel. So that the fronds don’t go to waste, I have been using them in other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing and creating this recipe!

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      November 2, 2022 at 10:40 am

      Hi Sarah! SO happy to read your note. Fennel is such a tastey veggie! Aren’t the fronds so nice?

      Reply
  4. Avatar for MaryAnn | The Beach House KitchenMaryAnn | The Beach House Kitchen

    October 28, 2022 at 6:35 pm

    Delicious combination of ingredients Traci! I’ll be adding this to my soup menu soon! Perfect with some of your delicious homemade bread!

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      October 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm

      I hope y’all enjoy it, Mare! Rob likes this one, so, I’m thinking Mr. P would be willing :D

      Reply
  5. Avatar for BruceBruce

    October 20, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    I had flu. Was planning on basic chicken noodle soup. THEN! When I was in the grocery store, fennel looked amazing. Kale looked amazing. They followed me home. So I googled and found this recipe.
    I started with chicken wings in the pressure cooker to make chicken stock as I originally planned. BUT THEN… this recipe. I used my home made chicken stock! Followed this recipe. And then… julienne ginger, the picked clean meat from the wings made earlier and the juice of a whole lemon. AMAZING!!!! OMG! JOY JOY!

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      October 24, 2022 at 5:30 pm

      Hooray hooray! So happy to hear Bruce… and I hope you’re feeling better. Thank you for your note and sharing your tips with us!

      Reply
  6. Avatar for sylvia albertasylvia alberta

    July 27, 2020 at 8:54 am

    I’m about to harvest kale from the garden and want to stock the freezer with a variety of soups. Would this freeze well? I plan on blending it.

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      July 27, 2020 at 10:12 am

      Hi Sylvia! Oh that sounds great. If blending, the soup will be fine frozen. If not blended, I didn’t care for the texture post freezing. I hope this helps, and you have a beautiful harvest!

      Reply
  7. Avatar for SamanthaSamantha

    September 28, 2018 at 10:33 am

    Hi Traci,

    I was craving soup and fennel when I stumbled across your blog and this recipe. I want to thank you so much for posting! I made this as written except I omitted the oil and added two medium yukon gold potatoes to use up leftover veggies. I currently have a sinus infection and this was exactly what I needed. Not only was it delicious but it was so easy to make! My husband usually likes more than soup for dinner so he made your beet sandwiches (https://vanillaandbean.com/roasted-beet-sauerkraut-sandwich/). I tried a bite and liked it so much he made me half a sandwich too!

    I have saved a few other recipes that I am excited to try out!

    Thanks again,

    Samantha

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      October 16, 2018 at 3:25 pm

      Hello Samantha! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup and that beet sandwich! What a fabulous combination – thank you and your hubs for giving them a go!

      Reply
  8. Avatar for StephanieStephanie

    December 9, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    This was soo yummy! I added chorizo to it because my husband always needs extra to tie him over. We loved this.

    Reply
    • Avatar for TraciTraci

      December 11, 2017 at 11:01 am

      Ohhh thank you so much for your note Stephanie! You’re fast! And you made it your own, to suit your husbands cravings! That’s what I looove about cooking!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

well hello!

I’m Traci and this is my blog. So Glad You Stopped By!

Here you’ll find full of flavor vegetarian comfort food with vegan and gluten free recipes too. I also share sourdough, sweets and naturally sweetened baked goods and desserts recipes because we all gotta have a little balance!

Learn More About Traci  or  The Blog.

Get on the List!

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Recipes, and get my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox!

Right this Way to Subscribe

Start Here!

Why vegetarian, what you’ll find on Vanilla And Bean and fan favorites all right here!

Right this Way to Start

Footer

Affiliate Info

Vanilla And Bean is monetized in part through the use of affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on a link and/or purchase an item after clicking on a link, Vanilla And Bean may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use through my affiliate links. To learn more please see my Affiliate Policy. Thank you for your support!

© Vanilla And Bean, LLC  – 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content or images without express and written permission from this blog’s owner is prohibited. Licensing inquiries for publication, general distribution, and/or commercial use, please contact me on my contact page.

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean · Website by Meyne

Menu

Home · Recipes · Contact · Privacy Policy
Terms of Use · Accessibility · California Privacy Notice

Copyright © 2023 · Vanilla and Bean On Genesis Framework · Log in

Get On The List!
Get On The List!
_____________________

Join the Vanilla And Bean community to receive sweet and savory vegetarian recipes, as well as my Five Secrets to Vegetarian Cooking email series delivered to your inbox.

You will receive recipes and kitchen tips, along with information about our partners and offerings. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.
  • Recipes
    ▼
    • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast and Brunch
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
      ▼
      • Sweet Breads
      • Savory Breads
    • Seasonal Recipes
      ▼
      • Fall
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
    • Sourdough
      ▼
      • Sourdough Discard Recipes
      • Gluten Free Sourdough
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Condiment Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
      ▼
      • Cocktails
      • Non Alcoholic
    • Dessert Recipes
  • Sign Up For Weekly Newsletter!
  • Start Here
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About
    ▼
    • Contact
    • A little bit about me…
    • Let’s Work Together
    • Blogs I’m Reading
    • Blogger Resources
Vanilla And Bean and our partners use cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. By using the Site, you consent to the use of cookies. Learn More

COOKIE SETTINGS   ACCEPT
Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
__cfduid14 weeksThe cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address d apply security settings on a per-client basis. It doesnot correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
OptanonConsent01 yearTracks users cookie consent preferences
viewed_cookie_policy011 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Advertisement
CookieTypeDurationDescription
IDE12 yearsUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE15 monthsThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_gat01 minuteThis cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites.
YSC1This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
YTCpersistent10 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube to manage the embed and viewing of videos
Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_ga02 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid01 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id16 monthsProvided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
GPS030 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location