New Year Detox Soup with Kale, Courgette & Cannellini Beans
Vibrant green, nourishing soup with courgette, kale, ginger and cannellini beans — light, filling and perfect for a New Year reset.
This New Year detox soup is all about clean flavours and easy comfort — a bright, nourishing pot to reset after indulgence without being boring. It uses warming ginger and turmeric for a metabolism-friendly kick, greens for fibre and antioxidants, and cannellini beans for gentle staying power.
Make it when you need something light but satisfying: it’s quick to pull together, packs well for work lunches and freezes beautifully if you want a batch to fall back on.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 leek — white and light-green parts only, washed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 20 g fresh ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 5 ml ground turmeric
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 2 courgettes — medium, halved lengthways and sliced
- 2 celery stalks — trimmed and sliced
- 1 fennel bulb — trimmed, core removed and sliced
- 200 g broccoli florets — small florets
- 150 g curly kale — stems removed and shredded
- 150 g baby spinach — washed
- 400 g cannellini beans — tinned, drained and rinsed
- 1.2 l low-salt vegetable stock
- 1 lemon — zest and juice
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- chilli flakes — optional, to serve
Equipment
- stick blender (immersion blender)
Instructions
Prepare all the vegetables: peel and roughly chop the brown onion; slice the leek; crush the garlic cloves; grate the fresh ginger; slice the courgettes, celery stalks and fennel bulb; trim the broccoli into small florets; remove kale stems and shred the leaves; wash the baby spinach. Zest the lemon and set aside, then juice it.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat on the hob. Add the brown onion and leek and sweat gently, stirring now and then, until softened and translucent — about 8 minutes. Do not let them brown.
Add the garlic cloves, fresh ginger, ground turmeric and smoked paprika and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
Tip in the courgettes, celery stalks, fennel bulb and broccoli florets. Stir and cook for 4 minutes to soften slightly.
Pour in the low-salt vegetable stock and add the cannellini beans. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the curly kale and baby spinach and simmer for a further 3 minutes until the leaves have wilted and are tender.
Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully blend the soup until smooth or to your preferred texture using a stick blender — work in short bursts and keep the blender head submerged to avoid splashes.
Return the soup to a very low heat, stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice, then check seasoning and add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Fold in the chopped fresh parsley.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil if you like, an extra scatter of fresh parsley and a pinch of chilli flakes if using. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Sweat the onion and leek until soft but not brown — browning changes the flavour profile from bright to sweet, which makes it less ‘detox’ fresh.
- When blending hot soup, keep the stick blender head submerged and pulse in short bursts to avoid splashes; alternatively cool slightly before blitzing in a stand blender.
- Make-ahead: the soup keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the hob and add a splash of water or stock if it has thickened.
- To freeze, cool completely then portion into airtight tubs for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- If you prefer a chunkier texture, reserve one courgette sliced, add it in at the last 4 minutes of cooking and only partially blend the pot.
Substitutions
cannellini beans → tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (same quantity)
Stays closecurly kale → extra baby spinach (same quantity)
Stays closefresh ginger → ground ginger 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp = 1 tsp fresh)
Noticeably differentground turmeric → fresh turmeric root, grated (use 25 g)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 266
- Calories
- 10 g
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 420 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this soup in advance?
Yes — it keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the hob and add a splash of water or stock if it seems too thick.
Can I freeze the soup?
Absolutely. Cool completely, portion into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
How can I make the soup thicker or thinner?
For a thicker soup, blend more of the beans and veg and reduce the stock by 100–200 ml. For a thinner soup, stir in extra stock or hot water a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Can I omit the beans?
You can, but the beans add protein and creaminess. If you omit them, add another 200 g courgette or potato for body, or serve the soup with a slice of wholegrain bread.
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