Go Back

Butter Bean Soup

Butter bean soup with a smoky, creamy broth—simmered until tender and partially mashed for a thick body. Finished with wilted kale and diced tomatoes for a hearty American main-dish soup.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

butter beans (large lima beans)
  • 3 can (15 oz) butter beans (large lima beans) drained
ham
  • 4 oz ham diced (or smoked turkey)
kale
  • 4 cup kale chopped
onion
  • 1 onion diced
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic minced
celery
  • 2 stalk celery diced
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
chicken or ham broth
  • 6 cup chicken or ham broth
smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing and serving
fresh parsley
  • 0.33 cup fresh parsley for serving
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the base
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté onion and celery for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant (visual cue: onion turns glossy).
Bloom the spices
  1. Add garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes (visual cue: spices darken slightly and smell toasty).
Simmer the soup
  1. Add diced tomatoes, chicken or ham broth, butter beans, and ham, then bring to a boil (visual cue: large bubbles cover the surface).
  2. Simmer for 15 minutes; mash a quarter of the beans for body (visual cue: broth thickens slightly and looks creamy).
  3. Add kale and simmer for 5 minutes until wilted (visual cue: kale turns bright green and collapses).
Finish and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh parsley (visual cue: herbs look fresh and the surface glistens).

Notes

For extra body, mash the beans right in the pot with a potato masher after the 15-minute simmer. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months for best quality. To make it dairy-free and vegetarian, swap the ham for smoked turkey or omit it and use vegetable broth (you may want an extra pinch of smoked paprika and thyme to keep the smoky flavor).