If there was ever a category of soups that can be made successfully from water and one other ingredient, that is bean soup. Legumes work as thickeners, add distinct textures and tastes, and are filling. Some soups call for cooking raw beans in the soup pot, so their broth is integral to the soup. This is the most nutritious and flavorful option. Other recipes add already-cooked beans. Most recipes and variations explain how to make the soup using either method. If you want to make bean soup, then just follow the method mentioned below.
Basic Bean Soup
You can make any legume soup with this recipe. Some will take longer to cook than others (and will need more stock or water), but the recipe is universal.
Ingredients:
- 11/2 cups dried beans, washed, picked over (Soaked if time permits)
- 6 cups vegetable, chicken, or beef stock or water, or more as required
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium to large carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or pinch dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Methods:
- Drain the beans if you’ve soaked them, and then put them in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the ingredients, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Boil them together, and then turn the temperature down so the mixture simmers steadily.
- Cook by stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, at least 1 hour; add more liquid as necessary so the mixture remains soupy. When the beans become tender, season them to taste with salt and pepper.
- If you like, you can purée the soup in an immersion blender or in any blender. At this stage, you should keep the soup in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days; reheat before proceeding. Serve, garnished with the parsley.
Ten methods for Bean Soup
- As good as basic bean soup, it can be made gloriously delicious with a few simple additions. Try any of these, alone or in combination:
- About 1/4 cup tomato paste or a cup or two of canned or fresh tomatoes, added at the beginning of cooking
- 1 or 2 mild chilies, like anchos, stemmed and seeded, added at the beginning of cooking
- A ham bone or 2 or 3 ham hocks or about 1/4 pound chopped bacon or pancetta, added at the beginning of cooking
- 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables carrots, celery, potatoes, shallots and turnips, whatever you like added about 20 minutes before the end of cooking
- Any whole grain, like brown rice, barley, or peeled wheat (1/2 cup or so, with the beans reduced by the same amount) added at the beginning of cooking; or quick-cooking grains, like white rice, pearled barley, or bulgur, added during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking
- At least 1 teaspoon minced garlic, added about 5 minutes before the end of cooking
- Chopped greens, like kale or collards (1 to 2 cups), added during the last 5 minutes of cooking
- Add about 2 tablespoons butter, stirred in at the end of cooking
- Extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per serving to be added at the last minute
- 4 to 8 garlic croutons, 1 or 2 added to the bottom of each soup bowl before serving
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