Bean soups are hearty, budget-friendly, and healthy. Pulses contain not only complete protein, but also dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and they are also low in calories, and simply delicious. Bean soup recipes are found in many cuisines around the world. Some housewives cook borsch with beans, others choose mashed bean soups. There is a favorite recipe for everyone.
Tuscan bean soup
Tuscan cuisine is simple and tasty. The Italians themselves, when they talk about it, now and then repeat l'essenziale, which means necessary, essential, important. This is exactly how you get the Tuscan bean soup. You will need:
- 1 large onion head;
- 1 large carrot;
- 2 stalks of celery;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 800 g canned chopped tomatoes;
- 800 g canned white beans;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 2 sprigs of rosemary;
- 600 ml vegetable broth;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped parsley;
- freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- olive oil.
Peel and dice the carrots, chop the onion as well, cut the celery sticks, pass the garlic through a press. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the carrots, onions and celery over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, stir and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Put canned beans and tomatoes in a saucepan, pour in juice from cans, add regular bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, then add broth and cook for about 20 minutes. If the soup is too thick, pour in some hot boiled water. Remove the rosemary branches and laurel leaves from the soup. Place half of the soup in a blender bowl and puree, return the puree back to the saucepan and stir. Add chopped parsley to the soup before serving. Often, this soup is served with oven-baked ciabatta slices rubbed with garlic butter. There is one slice of bread per serving of soup.
Bean and Bacon Soup
If you're in no rush, you can also make a simple bean soup with dry beans, not canned beans. This good old-fashioned recipe will appeal to those housewives who want to avoid preservatives and convenience foods in their kitchens as much as possible. You will need:
- 500 g dried red beans;
- 1 ½ liter of homemade chicken stock;
- 500 g smoked bacon;
- 2 large carrots;
- 2 stalks of celery;
- 1 head of onion;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 2 fleshy tomatoes;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 3-4 sprigs of thyme;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of tomato paste;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped parsley.
Rinse the beans, place them in a 5 liter pot and fill them with water so that they are 2 to 3 cm above the level of the beans. Leave for 10-12 hours, then drain and add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until half cooked.
Cut the bacon into large cubes. Fry in vegetable oil until crisp. Add three quarters to the beans, and place the remaining bacon on a paper kitchen towel to absorb the excess grease.
Chop the onions and carrots into large cubes, chop the celery stalks. Fry until soft in the same skillet where you fried the bacon. Finely chop the garlic and place with the vegetables. Stir for 3-4 minutes, add tomato paste and cook for another minute. Transfer the mixture to the beans, add bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and ground pepper and simmer the soup until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. When serving, add the set aside crispy bacon and parsley.
Step-by-step recipe for white bean soup
This classic bean soup is sometimes called Senator's Soup. The rich taste, pleasant texture and mouth-watering aroma of the dish will please not only dignitaries, but also discerning housewives. Take:
- 500 g dry white beans;
- 500 g smoked brisket on the bone;
- 2-3 medium friable potatoes;
- ½ glass of milk with a fat content of at least 2.5%;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter;
- 1 head of white onion;
- 1 stalk of celery
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped parsley;
- salt and ground black pepper.
Place the beans in a large saucepan and add about three times the amount of cold water. Leave it on for 10-12 hours. Drain, add 10 cups of cold water, place the brisket and put on fire. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for about 1 ½ hours, until the beans are tender. Remove the ham from the soup, let it cool, and cut the meat off the bone. Cut into cubes and return to saucepan.
Wash the potatoes, peel and cut into cubes, cover with water, season with salt and cook until tender. Drain water, add milk warm and puree until smooth. Add the resulting puree to the saucepan.
Chop the onion into small cubes, chop the celery, pass the garlic through a press. Melt the butter in a wide frying pan, fry the vegetables over low heat. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the mixture to the soup and cook for about an hour over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped herbs.
Turkish Spicy Bean Soup
This interesting vegetarian soup will appeal to those who prefer "hot". It is spicy and tangy, filling and thick. Cook it on a frosty winter day and you will feel much warmer. You can make it in advance, because warming up such soups only becomes tastier. You will need:
- 600 g canned beans;
- 3 l. vegetable broth;
- 300 g of fleshy tomatoes;
- 150 g chili peppers;
- 1 head of white onion;
- 2-3 red bell peppers;
- ½ teaspoon of ground cumin;
- ½ teaspoon of curry powder;
- ½ teaspoon of ground ginger;
- ½ teaspoon of ground dried paprika;
- olive oil;
- salt and pepper.
Cut the onion into small cubes. Remove the stalk from the bell pepper, remove the partitions and seeds and cut the flesh into cubes. Slice the chili peppers into rings. If you don't want the soup to be too spicy, discard the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into large cubes, save the leaked juice. Fry the onion in olive oil until transparent. Remove it and simmer the bell pepper in the same pan until soft. Boil broth, add beans, tomatoes and peppers, season with spices and cook for about 10 minutes.
Step-by-step bean and pasta soup recipe
This delicious dish is made with a variegated mix of different beans. Ideally, there should be sixteen of them, this is the name of the ready-made Italian soup mix - "16 bean", but if your soup contains only one common beans, it will not become less tasty from this. Take:
- 500 g dry bean mix;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil;
- 100 g bacon;
- 1 head of white onion;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes;
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes;
- 1 tbsp. dry red wine;
- 1 ½ liter of chicken stock;
- salt and ground pepper;
- 1 cup of fine paste;
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves.
Place dry beans in a wide, deep saucepan and cover with cold water so that its level is 2 to 3 centimeters higher. After 10-12 hours, rinse the beans under running water and refill with 8 cups of liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally and skimming. When the skins of the beans begin to break, turn off the heat.
Chop the onion and bacon into small cubes. Chop the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep saucepan with a thick bottom, sauté the onion and bacon, stirring occasionally. After 12-15 minutes, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a minute more, then add the tomatoes, broth and wine, season with salt and pepper. Add two-thirds of the beans. Purée the leftover beans with a blender and place in the pot as well. Stir in the paste. Stir. Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 15-20 minutes, until the paste is tender. Serve garnished with basil and grated cheese.
