Gourmet Bean Soup Recipes

TOMATO AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Beans Combine beans, onion, garlic, and bay leaves in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2". Bring to a simmer over medium heat, add several pinches of salt, and reduce heat to low. Continue to cook at a bare simmer until beans are creamy but still hold their shape, 35-45 minutes. Let beans cool in cooking liquid; discard bay leaves.
• Do ahead
• Beans can be cooked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Soup:
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and cook tomatoes, undisturbed, until caramelized and borderline blackened on one side, about 5 minutes. Break up tomatoes, scraping bottom of pot, and continue to cook, scraping and stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are caramelized all over, about 5 minutes more. Transfer tomatoes to a plate.
• Heat another 2 Tbsp. oil in same pot over medium. Add onion, fennel, garlic, and a pinch or so of red pepper flakes, if desired; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and starting to brown around edges, 8-10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and tomatoes, scraping up browned bits. Drain beans and add to pot along with broth (for a thicker soup, use half of the broth plus 2 cups bean-cooking liquid). Bring to a simmer; season with salt. Cook until flavors meld, 30-45 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in chard and cook until wilted. Ladle soup into bowls, top with almonds, and drizzle with oil.
• Do ahead
• Soup (without chard) can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

OLD-FASHIONED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Place meat, bacon and broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Heat oil in pan and saute onion, celery and carrot for 10 minutes. Add vegetables to the meat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve.

THE BEST BEAN AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Place the soaked beans into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low for 30 minutes. Drain. Add the ham bone, ham, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, vegetable juice, and vegetable broth. Season with Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chili powder, bay leaves, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Pour in enough of the chicken broth to cover the ingredients.
• Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 hours. Add more chicken broth as needed throughout the day. Remove the ham bone and season with salt if needed. Continue to simmer for a couple more hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

HEARTY BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Pour water over navy beans in a large container to cover by several inches; soak 8 hours to overnight.
• Combine soaked beans, chicken broth, water, onion, celery, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour.
• Stir tomato paste and sea salt into bean mixture; simmer soup another 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Ladle about half the soup into a large bowl; pour soup into a blender, working in batches, filling blender no more than half full. Hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into pot with unblended soup; stir in parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

GOURMET BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• soak beans overnight or till adequately moist.
• drain soaking water
• add all ingredients except cilantro to pressure cooker.
• wait for 3 whistles.(bring to pressure & cook 10 minute under pressure).
• garnish with cilantro.
• note: the tomato normally shouldn't be added before cooking beans, but in this recipe, this is ok b/c we use 3 whistles instead of two and the beans take a better firmer form necessary to make this a "gourmet" looking soup.

CONTEST-WINNING BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash 1 can black beans; set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion, red pepper and jalapeno in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. , Stir in the broth, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, hot sauce, pepper, bay leaf, mashed black beans and remaining whole beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. , Discard bay leaf. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1-1/2 teaspoons green onion.