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Butter Bean Soup

Butter bean soup with a smoky broth and creamy large lima beans simmered until gently thick. Finished with wilted kale, diced tomatoes, and ham for a hearty main-dish bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butter beans (large lima beans), drained
  • 3 can (15 oz) butter beans
Ham
  • 4 oz ham, diced (or smoked turkey)
Kale
  • 4 cup kale, chopped
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Celery
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
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
  • 1 tbsp olive oil and fresh parsley for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion and celery for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and fragrant.
  2. Add the minced garlic, smoked paprika, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices darken slightly and become aromatic.
Simmer the soup
  1. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken or ham broth, drained butter beans, and diced ham to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then keep it bubbling.
  2. Simmer for 15 minutes. Mash about a quarter of the beans for a thicker, creamy body, stirring to combine.
  3. Add the chopped kale to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes until the kale wilts and turns bright green.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley right before serving.

Notes

For the creamiest texture without fully pureeing, mash only about a quarter of the beans and stir well after simmering. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze in a sealed container up to 3 months (thaw overnight and reheat gently, adding a splash of broth if needed). For a lighter option, use smoked turkey and swap part of the broth for low-sodium broth to control salt.