January 2022 | Cook Now

Classic Bean Soup

This classic bean soup recipe is smoky and irresistibly satisfying! It’s quick and easy in just over 30 minutes.

Here’s a cozy bowl that’s so hearty and satisfying, you’ll never want to put your spoon down. Try this Smoky Bean Soup! Make room in your heart for this recipe, because this one dazzles. Kidney beans and navy beans float in a savory, smoky broth of fire roasted tomatoes that has just the right glossy texture. It uses canned beans, but it tastes like it’s been simmering all day. Each silky, smoky spoonful is a bit of heaven. (Plus, it saves well too!)

Ingredients in this bean soup

Sure, there are bean soups with dried beans, and crockpot recipes that simmer for hours. (You know, the kind with the ham hock?) We love those, but we also love fast and easy soups that required little foresight. This classic bean recipe requires just over 30 minutes and 3 cans of beans. Here’s what you’ll need:

Canned navy beans
Canned kidney beans
Fire-roasted tomatoes (important: see notes below)
Vegetables: yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic
Olive oil
Vegetable broth
Spices: Smoked paprika, cumin, fennel seeds, and salt

Smoked paprika is key to the flavor here! It’s a Spanish version of paprika, often labeled as pimenton, that infuses smoky flavor to dishes. It’s worth grabbing a bottle for this recipe, and you can use it in these smoked paprika recipes. The fennel seed is also essential, as it evokes a meaty flavor.

Notes on the beans

Various types of bean work in this mixed bean soup recipe: really any three 15-ounce cans of beans goes! You can also use cooked beans that you may have on hand. But we have a few tips for the variety of beans you use here:

Navy beans are worth seeking out: their small size and buttery flavor is a great contrast to the larger kidney beans. You can substitute cannellini, but they can taste large and starchy. Think of using a smaller bean like pinto or black beans instead.
Kidney beans add a nice contrast in color and size. If you substitute other types, think about these contrasts.
You can also use beans cooked from dry. Just don’t use them dry in the soup: cook them first! One 15-ounce can equals 1 ½ cups cooked beans, so use 4 ½ cups total.

Find fire roasted tomatoes for best flavor

The best secret in this bean soup, besides the savory combination of spices? Fire roasted tomatoes. This type of tomato brings massive sweet flavor to soups and sauces, right out of the can. Here’s what to know about this variety:

Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s roasted over a flame before canning. They’re sold by several different brands; look for them in the canned tomato section in your local grocery. We like Muir Glen.
Fire roasted tomatoes taste sweet right out of the can. This means you can cook them for less time, which is always a pro in our book!
Can’t find them? Use the highest quality canned tomatoes you can find. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer than specified below, and you may want to consider adding 1 teaspoon sugar to round out the flavors.

Leftover storage

This bean soup recipe stores very well! Once you’ve simmered it up, you can save it for up to 3 days refrigerated. The flavor just gets better over time! (We were eating this one for days and it kept tasting even more savory and delicious.) You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Sides to serve with bean soup

Got a big pot of bean soup? There are many sides to serve with soup to make it a meal, from crunchy fresh salads to bread or muffins. Here are some favorite ideas:

Muffins like cornbread muffins or popovers
Green salad like arugula salad, goat cheese apple salad, kale salad, or spring mix salad
Bread like skillet cornbread or garlic toast
Sandwich like gourmet grilled cheese or baked grilled cheese
Quesadilla like baked quesadillas

More bean soup recipes

Many bean varieties make make a great soup: from black to white to garbanzos! Here are some of our top bean soup recipes:

Try Easy Black Bean Soup
Opt for Cozy White Bean Soup
Go for Easy Kale Soup with White Beans
Try Chickpea Soup with Rice, aka garbanzo bean soup!

Easy Black Bean Soup

Cozy White Bean Soup

Easy Kale Soup

Chickpea Soup with Rice

This bean soup recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Classic Bean Soup

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Total Time: 33 minutes
Yield: 6
Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This classic bean soup recipe is smoky and irresistibly satisfying! It’s quick and easy in just over 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, small diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans navy beans*, drained (or substitute cannellini beans or pinto beans)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 quart vegetable broth
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

Dice the onion, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, drained beans, vegetable broth, smoked paprika, cumin, fennel seeds (crushing the fennel seeds with your fingers as you add them), and kosher salt. Simmer for 15 minutes**. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve warm: leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.

Notes

*Or, substitute any mix of 3 15-ounce cans of different types of beans. Navy beans are worth seeking out: the small size and buttery flavor is a nice contrast to the larger kidney beans. Or, substitute beans cooked from dry: use a total of 4 ½ cups cooked beans.

**The flavor should taste sweet and developed. If you aren’t using fire-roasted tomatoes, simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, and you may want to consider adding 1 teaspoon sugar to round out the flavors.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Category: Main dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Soup

Keywords: Bean soup, bean soup recipe

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Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

This chocolate strawberry smoothie tastes like a treat, but it’s made with healthy ingredients! Blend up this tasty puree in 5 minutes.

Here’s a smoothie for when you’ve got a chocolate craving: the Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie! Because what’s more fun than chocolate covered strawberries, in drinkable form? This tasty recipe features strawberries, banana, almond butter and cocoa powder, blended up into a lusciously creamy puree. It’s rich, fruity flavor made it an instant hit over here! We gobbled it up like it was a milkshake. It’s the ideal healthy treat!

Ingredients in this chocolate strawberry smoothie

This chocolate strawberry smoothie is made with just a few natural ingredients that you may already have on hand. It’s dairy-free when you use non-dairy milk; we recommend oat milk for smoothies because of its creamy texture and neutral flavor. Here’s what you’ll need for this smoothie (or jump to the recipe below for quantities):

Frozen strawberries
Banana
Old Fashioned oats: optional, but adds a hearty dose of whole grains
Cocoa powder
Almond butter
Milk of choice: dairy, oat milk or almond milk
Pure maple syrup or honey or agave syrup
Ice

Blend it up and give it a taste: you can add a splash more milk to get it to blend. The fruity rich chocolate flavor was a big hit over here.

Step it up with a garnish

This chocolate strawberry smoothie tastes incredible as is: but here’s a little trick for stepping it up if you’re making it as a treat. Top it with a sprinkle of dark chocolate! You only need about 1 tablespoon, and when you stir it in it makes for tasty occasional chocolate chunks. It’s optional, but a fun way to take it up a notch!

Ways to add protein

Almond butter brings protein to this chocolate strawberry smoothie without overwhelming the flavor! But you can add more protein especially if you’re using this as a meal replacement. Here are a few options:

Chia seeds. You can add plant-based protein and fiber with chia seeds: 2 tablespoons chia seeds adds 4 grams protein and 11 grams fiber.
More almond butter. Add another 1 tablespoon nut butter to add an additional 4 grams protein.
Vanilla or chocolate protein powder: Protein powder works well here: we use this protein powder that has natural ingredients and a flavor that’s not too artificial.

Variations on a chocolate strawberry smoothie

Once you’ve made the chocolate strawberry smoothie recipe below, try it with a few variations! Here are some ideas:

Substitute frozen raspberries for strawberries. Instant chocolate raspberry smoothie!
Use dark chocolate cocoa powder. Substitute Dutch process cocoa powder for the regular cocoa powder for a dark chocolate flavor! You should be able to find it at your local grocery. If you can’t find it, you can buy it online: try Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Ghiradelli Dutch Process Cocoa Powder.

More healthy chocolate recipes

Craving chocolate but want to satisfy it with something healthy? Try these tasty recipes:

Go for a Chocolate Banana Smoothie or Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie
Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries instead (they’re healthy too!)
Try Chocolate Covered Bananas
Make fan-favorite Healthy Chocolate Pudding Snack

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Healthy Chocolate Pudding Snack

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Bananas

This chocolate strawberry smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.