Bean Soup

Cookbook | Soups | Recipes

Bean Soup

This is from Bob Uhl’s recipe for Bean Soup found on his bachelor recipes site.

This soup is quick & easy to make, even for one without a lot of culinary skills. I first devised it in college, being inspired by a cold salad brought to a Lenten potluck at the OCA Cathedral there. I’ve since tweaked it considerably. It’s a long-standing favourite of mine.

Ingredients

Canned Foods

Pick and choose as you wish. I highly recommend always including corn. Use one corn of each type of canned food.

• navy
• kidney
• chickpeas
• white beans
• black beans
• corn
• peas

Fresh Vegetables

Again, pick and choose as you wish. I recommend onion, celery, garlic and bay leaves at all times.

• 1 onion
• celery
• 3–6 cloves of garlic, to taste
• 2 bay leaves (I used those leftover from Holy Saturday)
• 1 carrot
• 2 chili pequins
• peeled & minced tomato (discard the jelly & seeds)
• cooked, diced potato

Spices

• 1 tsp. whole mustard seed
• 1 tsp. ground mustard seed
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• ½ tsp. caraway seed
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. ground coriander seed
• taragon
• thyme
• rosemary
• fresh coriander leaf (wrongly called cilantro)
• fresh ground black pepper
• salt

Directions

I mince the onion as finely as possible; so too the garlic, tomato (if I use it), celery and coriander. Sautée the onion in the bottom of the pot in oil of some sort (I like butter or bacon grease), then the garlic. Remove from heat and pour in all cans, then use each can to add its own measure of water. The add the rest of the vegetables and spices, and let boil for a few hours until the soup has thickened and serve it forth. This soup improves greatly with age.