Bean Soup Recipes

There is nothing quite as good as a well-prepared bean soup. Did you know that there are over 14,000 species of beans in the world but only about 22 are marketed commercially?

Beans have been used in cooking for thousands of years. Most originated in South America and found their way to Europe through the Spanish.

So it is only natural that some established bean soup recipes were developed.

Bean soups are easy and fun to make. They are hard to ruin, taste great and can be thickened by mashing some of the soup's beans.

I probably should mention that in the following recipes I use these abbreviations:

't' refers to teaspoon
'T' refers to tablespoon
'c' means cup
'#' means pound
'oz' means ounce

The first recipe is for a Portuguese bean soup from the mountainous region of Aragon. It can be cooked and eaten 'as is' or used as a base for a stew by adding some meat. The main ingredient is the navy bean which cooks so long the beans actually break down into a thick paste.

Portuguese Bean Soup

1 # navy beans, soaked overnight (1 package)
8 c water
4 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 t salt
ground black pepper to taste
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut to 1 inch squares
1 c rice

Soak the beans overnight making sure they are covered with water. If you can, periodically change the water for fresh water but this is optional.

To begin preparation, cut up vegetables & potato and sautee or caramelize onions, then drain the soaked beans and place them in a soup pot and add the 8 cups water, olive oil, garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper. Add in the onions and deglaze the pan with some soup water.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes then stir in the dried rice and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve.

The next recipe is a Dutch bean soup with a unique flavor. It is fairly easy to make as long as you have a potato masher (the cook's secret weapon). Or you could use a blender but that will prove a little messy.

2 Bean Soup

.75 c black beans, soaked overnight
.75 c great northern beans, soaked overnight
3 quarts water
3 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 t salt
ground black pepper to taste
.5 T curry powder
dash of Worcestershire sauce
3 medium size potatoes, peeled and cut to 1 inch squares

Soak the beans overnight making sure they are covered with water. If you can, periodically change the water for fresh water but this is optional.

To begin preparation, drain soaked beans and add to a soup pot with the 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, add bay leaf and cloves and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Next cut up the vegetables. After the 2 hours are up, add potatoes and cook another 30 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a skillet, add onion and curry powder and caramelize. Add to soup. Remove the cloves and bay leaf from the soup and with a potato masher, mash everything in the soup that you can. Add the caramelized onions to the soup and cook 20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire and serve.

The next recipe is from an old friend of mine. Julio was an old roommate back in the late 1970's and we are still friends today. Julio was born in the Dominican Republic and, as a single guy at the time, knew how to cook for himself. Needless to say, he has many interesting recipes.

This is Julio's version of a quick bean soup meant to be made as a sidedish but I always make it a main meal.

Julio's Quick and Easy Bean Soup

*Julio U. - West Hartford, Connecticut*

1 can (16 oz or so) Progresso Red Kidney Beans
2 c water
1 beef bouillon cube
.25 c white rice
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 T tomato paste
2 t oregano
1 t salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a small saucepan (soup pot), heat the olive oil on medium heat, add the onions and sautee. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan with the sauteed onion, bring to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve.

Next is a recipe for a Lentil and Chick Pea soup. What makes this special is the combination of rice with chick peas and caraway seeds. A great soup for a cold, winter day...

Lentil and Chick Pea Soup

1 c chick peas, soaked overnight (or .5 can Goya brand chick peas)
.5 c black beans or black eyed peas, soaked overnight
1 c lentils (.5 package)
8 c water
1 c rice
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 oz package mushrooms (any kind)
1 T salt
1 t caraway seeds

Soak the chick peas and black beans overnight making sure they are covered with water. If you can, periodically change the water for fresh water but this is optional.

To begin preparation, drain soaked beans and add to a soup pot with the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 1.5 hours. Add rice and simmer another 20 minutes

In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet, caramelize onions and mushrooms. Add to soup and deglaze pan with some soup broth. Stir in salt and caraway, simmer 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

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