Red Bean Soup Recipe

Red bean soup is one of the most unique and healthy soups that you will ever have the pleasure of enjoying. The great part about this recipe is that it's filled with wonderful veggies like red peppers, celery, and, of course, beans. This is the perfect soup for a vegetarian to enjoy, but it's also great for meat lovers as well. It's plenty filling, and it would make a great lunch, or it would be wonderful to serve with a sandwich or grilled cheese at dinner.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn came up with this yummy dish that tastes like a little slice of heaven. "I am a huge fan of beans, and this recipe is a nice variation of a bean soup," she shares. "I love that it has the kick from Tabasco, and the raw parsley that you add at the end gives it a really fresh twist!"

There are also plenty of health benefits. "Yes, there are huge benefits to red beans! They have lots of minerals like folate (a very important B vitamin), iron and potassium," Hahn raves. "Plus, they have lots of fiber, and also they are a resistant starch, which means they help increase our good gut bacteria!"

Keep reading to find out how to make this healthy soup.

The first thing you need to do is make a list of necessary ingredients. There are a lot of ingredients, so this will be a pretty lengthy list. For starters, you will need some oil. If you don't want to use oil, you can replace it with broth instead. The recipe also calls for a few veggies, including onion, garlic, red pepper, celery, and beans.

The following few items you will need are all spices, including cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaves. Moving onto liquids, add some apple cider vinegar and Tabasco sauce. For toppings, grab some Italian parsley, scallions, and red pepper flakes.

Take out a soup pot and toss in either your oil or the broth or oil — whichever you opt to use. Put the pot on your stove and crank the heat up to medium-high. At this time, you can go ahead and toss in the onion, which should already be diced. Then, add the garlic, red pepper, and celery. Remember, you also should chop those items ahead of time so they're ready to go right into the dish. 

Cook everything together for about five minutes, and remember to stir frequently to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

While your veggies are cooking, keep an eye on them, but it's okay to multi-task. Go ahead and open your can of beans and throw them into a colander to drain the excess liquid. In this case, you don't need to rinse the beans. Then, take out a small bowl and toss in all of your spices. Start with the cumin and coriander, and then add the oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if you choose to use it. Stir everything together to mix it well. This melody of spices will add some wonderful flavor to your soup.

By now, your onions and peppers should be good to go. That means it's time to toss in the beans and spices. Then, add in the bay leaves and the broth. "I love using bay leaves to add a savory and subtle mint flavor," Hahn says. "They blend well in this soup, but in a pinch, if you don't have them, you can leave them out. The other main spices, [like] cumin, coriander, and oregano really shine in this soup." 

Next, lower the heat to a simmer, and then set your timer for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the bay leaves and discard. You can use an immersion blender to blend half of the soup to thicken it, or you can also leave it be if you want it chunkier.

Now, it's time to toss in the remaining ingredients. Start with the vinegar, and then throw in the Tabasco for a little bit of a kick. If you are a spice lover, you can add a little extra. Then, toss in the parsley and scallions. Stir the mixture well, and voila, your masterpiece is done.

Feel free to serve the soup in a cup or a bowl, depending on your level of hunger and whether you're using it as a side or a main course. You can top the soup with scallions and red pepper flakes to serve. "I like to serve this with a green salad!" Hahn shares. "The salad I made tonight with the soup had tomatoes, carrots, red onion, fennel, and yellow peppers ... perfect with this. You can also serve with bread or even naan or pita bread."

Any leftovers? "[This soup] saves great for five days in an air-tight container, and it should freeze well for up to one month." Now there's just one thing left to do: enjoy!