15 Bean Soup
Posted: 09/19/22
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15 bean soup is hearty, comforting, and packed with flavor. Made with a mix of 15 types of beans like pinto beans, lima beans, red beans, lentils, and garbanzo beans, this soup is seasoned to perfection and rounded out with bacon, onion, celery, and diced tomatoes. Welcome to soup season!
🫘 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- 15 bean soup is SUPER filling and satisfying. It’s full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, all of which go a long way toward keeping you full. Unlike soups that are more broth than other ingredients, this one is packed with 15 different types of beans, bacon, celery, onions, and diced tomatoes.
- It’s a great option if you’re on a budget, especially if you’re trying to feed a group. Dry beans are typically pretty cost effective, and they keep well so you can buy in bulk to take advantage of better values. Replace the bacon with prosciutto or ham if you find a good deal for either, or use the leftover ham from your holiday dinners. You can even stretch it a little further by adding another cup or two of chicken broth or another can of diced tomatoes.
- You can totally cook this for the week’s meal prep, or freeze a batch to enjoy later in the season. It keeps and reheats really well – just make sure to let it cool completely first, then refrigerate or freeze it in an airtight container. 15 bean soup can be refrigerated up to 5 days, and frozen up to 3 months.
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🥣 Chef’s Tips
- This recipe starts out with a prepackaged dried 15 bean soup blend which you should be able to find at most grocery stores, from one brand or another. Since the beans are dry, though, you’ll have to put in a little extra prep work before you start cooking them. The beans need to soak for at least 8 hours. I like to set them up either overnight or early in the morning so they’re ready to go when I am.
- Don’t have time for an 8-hour bean bath? You can try a quick-soak method instead. It still takes a little prep work, but it gives you ready-to-cook beans in a fraction of the time, so pick your poison. For the quick soak, just rinse and drain the beans like normal. Transfer them to a large pot and cover them with 3-4 inches of water. Bring the water to boil, and let it boil for 2-3 minutes. After that, slide the pot over to a burner that’s turned off. Cover the pot with a lid, and let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour. Once they’ve soaked for an hour you can drain the water and proceed with the recipe as written.
- If you want a thicker, creamier consistency to your 15 bean soup, that’s easy! Before you add the tomatoes and bacon, transfer 50%-60% of the cooked beans to another bowl and set them aside. Use a blender, immersion blender, or potato masher to puree or mash the beans left in the pot until you’ve got your preferred consistency. After that, just return the reserved beans to the pot and stir to incorporate everything.
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15 Bean Soup
A base of 15 different beans, a blend of spices, bacon, onion, celery, and diced tomatoes. A hearty and satisfying way to welcome in soup season!
servings
Ingredients
- 1 20-ounce bag dried 15 bean soup with seasoning packet
- 4 strips bacon diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes not drained
- shredded cheddar cheese optional, for topping
- sliced green onions optional, for topping
Equipment
- colander or fine mesh sieve
- running water
- large bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover
- Large pot
- tongs or spatula
- bowl or plate
- Large wooden spoon
Instructions
- Pour dried bean mix into large colander. Rinse beans in colander with running water, until water draining from beans runs clear.
- Transfer rinsed beans to large bowl. Fill bowl with water to cover beans, then cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap. Set beans aside to soak 8 hours. See Notes for Quick-Soak Method.
- Toward end of soak time, heat large pot on stovetop over medium heat. When pot is hot, add diced bacon to pot and cook until bacon is cooked through and crispy.
- Transfer cooked bacon to bowl or plate and set aside. Do not drain rendered bacon fat from pot.
- Add diced onion, minced garlic, and chopped celery to pot with bacon fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and celery are tender, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add seasoning packet from dried soup, chili powder, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to pot. Stir well to fully combine spices with veggies and rendered bacon fat.
- Pour 6 cups chicken broth into pot and stir to incorporate spices, veggies, and liquid.
- Drain water from bowl with beans, then add soaked beans to pot with chicken broth. Stir to incorporate, then let soup simmer, uncovered, 1 hour.
- After soup has simmered 1 hour, add diced tomatoes and cooked bacon to pot and stir to incorporate. Cook soup, uncovered, 30 minutes more.
- After 30 minute cook time, taste soup and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder as needed. When satisfied with flavor, portion soup into serving bowls, top with shredded cheese and sliced green onions if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
- Quick Soak Method: Rinse and drain beans. Transfer beans to pot and cover with 3-4 inches of cold water. Bring water to boil and let beans cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Move pot to room-temperature burner and cover pot with lid. Let beans soak 1 hour, then drain beans and proceed with recipe as written.
- Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Omit the bacon, or use a plant-based bacon. Use neutral oil to sauté onion, celery, and garlic, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Use a plant-based shredded cheese. Double check the seasoning packet ingredients before using.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 672mg, Potassium: 1229mg, Fiber: 19g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 93IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 27g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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