I know someone out there is probably saying, “What, another soup that looks like grass clippings?!” I have to beg your indulgence because yes this soup does, in a way, contain grass clippings or, more precisely, garden clippings. You see, I have a small garden plot that’s filled with collard greens that need to be eaten immediately. The plants have started to bolt, growing up tall and thin and sporting flowers that look a little like broccoli. It’s the end of the line for them, so I’m harvesting them as fast as possible to make room for my summer garden.
I used about a third of my collards in this recipe, which can easily be made with other greens. I cooked them in a pressure cooker to save time, but use a regular pot if you don’t have a PC (see the instructions below). I assure you it’s much tastier–and healthier–than grass clippings!
Collard Greens and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1-1 1/2 pounds collards, kale, chard, or other greens tough ribs discarded and leaves chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 carrots sliced about 1/4-inch thick
- 4 cups fat-free vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans such as Great Northern beans, drained
- 2-4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme additional
- 1/4-1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder adjust to your personal heat level
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- vegan Parmesan optional
Instructions
- Heat a pressure cooker and add onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, adding water by the tablespoon to prevent sticking. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the next 5 ingredients into pressure cooker and seal. Bring to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and release pressure manually. (Set manual setting on electric pressure cooker for 5 minutes then quick release pressure. If cooking without a pressure cooker, cook covered in a large pot until collards are tender, about 30 minutes.)
- Add the beans, 2 cups of water or broth, and the remaining seasonings. Simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine. (Use saute or brown setting on electric pressure cooker on lowest temperature available.) While cooking, add additional water or broth if the soup seems too dry. Serve topped with vegan parmesan, if desired.
Nutritional info is approximate.
SusanV
August 1, 2009 at 1:18 pmComments made before the blog was moved:
Melody Polakow said…
I’m so jealous of your garden greens… no grass comparisons here..
11:34 AM, March 27, 2007
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Linda said…
susan – this looks amazing. i adore this bowl AND the photo. i always find it challenging to photograph soups (stir fry alike) because of the jumble but you really did an amazing job with this one (like i’m surprised…) i have yet to use collard greens in my cooking – can’t wait to try this one out!
12:14 PM, March 27, 2007
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bee said…
that is a good-looking soup, susan.
12:49 PM, March 27, 2007
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Courtney said…
Thanks Susan–I have a bunch of collards in my fridge just waiting to be used! I think that I will try this in the crock-pot tomorrow.
Courtney
4:01 PM, March 27, 2007
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Veg-a-Nut said…
This dish looks wonderful It is going on my to make list. I love your blog!
4:27 PM, March 27, 2007
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Ellen said…
Mmm, this looks great. Awesome photo too!
12:08 AM, March 28, 2007
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Vincent Guihan said…
Your soup looks really yummy. I love collard greens and they’re so nutritious.
8:17 AM, March 28, 2007
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bazu said…
no complaints here! I love my leafy greens. That is so cool that your garden provided such a bounty of them.
And thank you for the birthday wishes- I’m intrigued by all the people who say 28 is a good year- here’s hoping!
9:10 AM, March 28, 2007
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Mandira said…
Susan, this looks beautiful. Did you say you used collard from your garden? A picture of your plants and this will be a perfect entry for Green Blog Project that I’m hosting. Hope you’ll consider.
11:53 AM, March 28, 2007
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sher said…
Oh, that looks so good. Collards taste wonderful in the pot liquor–so collard soup is the next step. Beautiful!
5:45 PM, March 28, 2007
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Karina said…
This soup looks so inviting – so fresh and healthy. I feel better just *looking* at it. 😉
Karina
6:18 PM, March 28, 2007
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Pille said…
I’ve got a good-sized and totally wild garden at the moment. With lots of hard work over the coming months/years, I hope to be able to harvest some of my own collard greens in the future:) The soup looks like something I’d really enjoy, btw.
2:38 AM, March 29, 2007
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Vanessa said…
more soups that look like grass clippings please! it just looks so slurpable!
8:17 AM, March 30, 2007
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Sherry said…
I made this tonight, & it was GREAT! I think a pan of fresh cornbread would be wonderful with it. This is the first of your recipes I have tried. Thank you!
3:12 AM, March 31, 2007
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Elizabeth said…
Made it last night as my soup for my week’s lunches at work. Last week’s soup was your egyptian red lentil with green beans and spice mix, which I loved! I was looking for something a little lighter for this week.
I used swiss chard and only one can of beans. Very very good. Next time I would use even more thyme and probably basil as well.
Thanks, as always!
12:38 PM, April 02, 2007
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Jackie V said…
I am making this tonight! It looks so delicious and even though it is now officially spring, it is cold in Southern Indiana and they are calling for snow! Makes this dish even more inviting.
Thanks, Susan
12:47 PM, March 22, 2008
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joeyjvb said…
The soup is delicious! We used mustard greens from the Pasadena, CA Saturday morning farmers’ market. Greens always give me such great energy… all the B vitamins. If I could I would have them every day. Thank you for your desire to help others through your love of great vegan cooking and creativity. Keep ’em coming!
12:05 AM, April 04, 2008
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Joe said…
I am going to try this recipe tonight. I am a collard addict and appreciate new ways to cook my favorite green.
I was wondering if I am missing something as there is no way to “rate” this recipe like some of the others that I have come across.
Thanks!
Joe
2:55 PM, August 15, 2008
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Colleen said…
This looks like an Americanized version of my Zuppa di Fagioli. (see my blog!) Although my recipe calls for kale I have made it with collards. It calls for italian beans to be authentic but great northerns and pinto work just fine. I think the spices are more definitive anyway. Yours looks a bit spicier, mine is a bit on the rosemary side. I will have to try this recipe soon because my collards are trying to bolt as well.
8:11 PM, May 29, 2009
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Stephanie
October 5, 2009 at 8:29 amI tried this recipe last night with kale instead of collards. Though I rarely use the pressure cooker, I decided to branch out and try something new. I am so glad I did. The flavors were so rich and the soup was amazing! It was a perfect meal for a brisk Fall night.
Xtreme English
February 6, 2010 at 11:24 amhi…it's feb 6 2010, and i'm looking for good soup recipes and found yours!!!
this looks wonderful to me, but i have to say that most people's way of cooking collard greens (or any of the other big flat greens) doesn't quite get it. hereabouts, they boil the stuff for hours with ham bones, etc. but i prefer to do what my Brazilian friends did: strip the leaves off the stems and roll the leaves up like a cigar. then just chiffonade! i.e., cut off tiny slices that will leave you with long strips of greens that you can stirfry with garlic just until they turn bright green! very edible and tasty that way. what do you think??
SusanV
October 3, 2010 at 1:45 pmI’d say that sounds a lot like how I cook them here: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11/quick-and-delicious-collards.html. I really love how the long strips cook up!
Miss Jamila
January 22, 2011 at 10:41 pmI just made this recipe! No pressure cooker. I used a combo of vegetable stock and broth. I used Cannellini beans, since I’ve never tried that kind before. The soup turned out very good! I will make this again! Thanks for the recipe…
smithsusan
February 20, 2011 at 9:03 pmI made this collard green and white bean soup tonight. It is amazing! So simple and easy to make – surprisingly delicious! This was my first time cooking/eating collard greens and I am IN LOVE!. Thanks
andreaq
March 8, 2011 at 9:22 pmI made this tonight and it was very good! Only change I made was to add about 1/4 can of pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (because I didn’t have any chipotle powder and I like the spice/flavor of the stuff!). Very filling and good comfort food.
Tammy B
October 16, 2011 at 8:12 pmMade this for dinner tonight and it was so good! Thank you for a wonderful recipe and website!
Shirley
March 5, 2012 at 12:57 pmI made this soup over the weekend and it was a huge success. Thanks for a great recipe.
Angelize
September 11, 2012 at 8:26 pmThanks for the recipe! It tasted great. I’m looking forward to trying a few more recipes from your site. Take care.
Cindy
October 14, 2012 at 8:26 pmHad this for dinner tonight…it was wonderful! I substituted celeriac root for the celery….very good! I’ve been sick with a cold, so wanted something really homey and healthy to help kick the cold. Thanks for the recipe!
Cindy
October 15, 2012 at 10:40 pmI was wondering…do you think this will freeze alright? I am single and it makes a lot…I will happily eat it for several days, but want to make sure I don’t waste any:)
Susan Voisin
October 16, 2012 at 7:12 amI think it should freeze pretty well. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Cindy
October 16, 2012 at 7:23 pmThanks! I will have to try that…it will be nice to unthaw on a cold winter’s day:)
Maria
November 10, 2012 at 4:51 pmI’m cooking this right now because I just happened to have Collard greens in the fridge and I already tasted a bit of it and it is tasting so good. Can’t wait till it’s done cooking. Thank you for the recipe Susan and for this website it is a lifesaver!
Maria
Karina
November 20, 2013 at 5:09 amI have my 3rd lot of this soup on the stove right now so I just had to let you know how much I LOVE it – it is so tasty and you can just feel the nourishment as you eat it! Thank you so much! Karina from Scotland 🙂
chen
February 28, 2015 at 1:54 pmI just finished 2 big bowls of this delicious soup! I sprinkled some cashew parm before serving…so good!
Pat
March 5, 2015 at 8:00 pmThis is one of our favorites and enjoy it often.
lena
March 15, 2015 at 5:05 pmjust made this tonight!!! used sweet paprika instead of hot. YUUUUMMMYYYY!!!
mary lou
November 23, 2015 at 10:15 amI just made your collard greens and white bean soup and it is amazing!!
We live near Asheville NC and our winters can be very cold – this is one recipe that I’ll be making a lot this winter. Thanks for sharing your recipes, have loved everyone of them!!!
Jax
October 29, 2016 at 6:46 pmMade this with a couple pounds of mustard greens and it was super delicious…I added a little bit of red wine vinegar at the end to brighten it. Just what the doctor ordered today!
Bob
April 29, 2017 at 6:49 pmGreat and easy vegan soup. I was looking for a soup that fit the ingredients I had on hand and found yours. Thanks.
Jessica Robinson
December 28, 2017 at 5:33 pmI just made this recipe (currently eating it with cornbread) and it turned out delicious. Thank you!
Crystal
March 1, 2018 at 10:43 amI soaked 1.5 cups white beans and added an extra 4-6 cups of water instead of the canned beans, and then cooked it for 13 minutes with no additional simmer time afterward. I also sautéed the greens’ stems (chopped super finel) with the onions. It was delicious and I’m making it again!
Randy
December 29, 2018 at 7:35 pmI just received an instant pot for Christmas. So I’ve been looking for recipes and came across this one. I had a bag of mixed greens from Trader Joe’s and all the other ingredients on hand. VERY happy with this soup recipe. Thanks so much for posting it!
Dina
June 28, 2019 at 1:29 pmI needed more kick so I added a ton of red pepper flakes, a dash of soy sauce and a bunch of italian seasoning and some fresh cilantro at the end. Delicious!
Rebecca
August 1, 2020 at 4:06 pmNow one of my favorite soup recipes. Very tasty even without added salt.
Madi
March 29, 2021 at 7:17 pmJust made this for dinner after searching for something healthy to do with collard greens. Loved it! I will be making this again. Great recipe. 10/10 recomend.