THIS is one of those soups that makes you feel good about your health and is still incredibly delicious and satisfying. Beans are probably the most underrated super food. They’re packed full of fiber, protein, and antioxidants, while still being super inexpensive and shelf stable. And when you get 15 different varieties all in one pot, you’ve got a serious nutrition powerhouse! I decided to make it a Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup (it’s actually vegan) this week, but you could always add some bacon, a smoked ham hock, or smoked turkey leg to your soup for a little extra smoky flavor.
What Kind of Beans Do I Use?
“15 Bean Soup” mixes are fairly common in most major grocery stores, and they are sold right along side the other dry beans. I used Hurst’s Brand, which are in many major grocery stores. They’re basically just a mix of 15 bean varieties in one bag, and they’re quite beautiful, with all their different colors, patterns, and sizes. They usually come with a seasoning packet, just like instant ramen, but I prefer to add my own herbs and spices.
What to Serve with Bean Soup
While this soup itself is vegan, I ended up topping it with some shaved parmesan. Other good toppings would be a dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt (you could do coconut yogurt to keep it vegan), or even some shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack. And I definitely suggest serving with some crusty bread on the side (try this no-knead bread).
How to Store the Leftovers
This Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup will freeze great, so don’t be afraid of the recipe’s large volume! Just divide it up after cooking, cool, then transfer to the freezer for long term storage. This soup does take some time to prepare, but most of it is passive time. So plan this recipe for a weekend or your day off so you can keep an eye on it while double tasking with something fun, like watching a movie. :) And don’t forget to start soaking the beans the night before!
Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup
Servings 8 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 lb. 15 bean soup mix* (2.69)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil** ($0.44)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 4 carrots ($0.45)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.46)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.49)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley ($0.22)
- to taste salt ($0.02)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar ($0.04)
Instructions
- The night before, place the beans in a large bowl and add cool water until the beans are covered with twice as much water as the beans. Let the beans soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours, in the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to begin cooking, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them well with fresh water. Set the beans aside so they can begin to warm up.
- Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Add the garlic, onion, and coconut oil to a large soup pot. Sauté over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, dice the celery and carrot. Once the onions have softened, add the carrot and celery to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes more, or just until the celery starts to soften.
- Add the beans to the pot along with 6 cups of water, and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down to low or medium-low, and let the beans simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 90 minutes, the beans should be quite soft and have broken down a bit, causing the water to look slightly thick and cloudy. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and parsley to the pot. Stir to combine, then let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Taste the soup and add salt to taste (I added 1.5 tsp). Finally, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Keep in mind that as the soup is stored in the refrigerator, the salt may absorb into the beans and taste more muted. You may need to add more salt the next day.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make 15 Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos
The night before place 1 pound of the dry 15 bean mix (do not use the seasoning packet) in a large bowl. Cover it with enough water so there is double the amount of water as beans. Refrigerate the beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours. This is what they look like after soaking. When you’re ready to start cooking, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them well with fresh water.
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onions, garlic, and 2 Tbsp coconut oil (or your favorite cooking oil) to a large pot. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onions and garlic are cooking, peel and dice 4 carrots, and dice 3 ribs of celery. Add them to the pot and continue to sauté just until the celery begins to soften (about 5 minutes more).
Add the rinsed and drained beans…
And 6 cups of water. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low or medium low, and let it continue to simmer for 90 minutes. Stir it occasionally as it simmers.
After it’s simmered for 90 minutes, the beans should be very soft and be breaking down. The broth will look all cloudy like this, and kind of pale in color.
Now it’s time to add those top note flavors! Add one 15oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juices), 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, some freshly cracked pepper, and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir everything to combine, then let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
And now it’s looking much more vibrant. BUT we haven’t added ANY salt yet, so the flavors are still quite muted. Now it’s time to season with salt to taste. I ended up using 1.5 tsp, but I suggest starting with 1/2 tsp, and increasing from there until the flavors really pop. Keep in mind that as you refrigerate this, the salt will absorb into the beans some and become more muted, so you may need to add more the next day.
Finally, stir in a couple teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to brighten it all up, and it’s done!
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This is some awesome soup! Notice that it’s after 11pm; as soon as this recipe hit my email account today I was like, “I’m making this tonight; I don’t care how long it takes and how late I stay up.”
#WorthIt
Now, in the interest of full disclosure: I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. I wanted to avoid all oils (right now, I’m trying to make things that are zero Weight Watchers points), so I sautéed everything in water. Obviously, I used no cheese, then, either. And I forgot to grab any fresh parsley when I was at the store buying beans today, so I tossed in some dried stuff, instead (how much should I have used, anyway?).
You’re right about the salt; about 1 and one-half tsp was perfect. :)
But then I was like, huh, what would happen if I added… –> you know how that goes. So I started adding tiny amounts of stuff to my tasting bowls. One variation I really was just the tiniest amount of Goya Ham Flavored Seasoning added (which has milk so it’s not vegan). It offered this pop of smoky-ness that was fantastic. So, I turned to my liquid smoke and added just a tiny bit of it. Huzzah! Good stuff! So as an alternative, I think ham base is nice in it, and I think just a bit of liquid smoke is nice in it, too.
This is all to say – your recipe rocks. (I feel like the seasonings are really close to your Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup recipe, which I ~literally~ make more than once a month because it’s phenomenal.) And, I like that I can play with it and add stuff and be creative and it’s still awesome.
Thank you so much!!!
Love it! Thanks for sharing your experiments! :)
This may be the same issue as with the slow cooker, but could this be made with a multi cooker using the “Soup” setting? I have a Fagor, but it is very similar to the Instant Pot and you were my impetus for not fearing the pressure cooker. (Though my husband opened it on the maiden voyage ;)
Hmm, I think the “bean” setting might be better for this one. I don’t think the soup setting is assuming dried beans are in the mix. Hopefully yours has a bean setting!
Would you happen to have the nutrional information for this soup handy?
Beth,
Thank you. This looks great.
My question is why is it necessary to refrigerate the beans while they soak?
Thanks,
Ann
To prevent bacterial growth. Even though the beans will be cooked later, as bacteria grow they release toxins that aren’t killed or broken down by the cooking process. It’s just an extra safety precaution. :)
WHen did you add the recipe calculator to your recipes? I love that! I do sometime cook for large groups of people and it’s nice to have a calculator to do the appropriate math.
I intend to make this soup over the weekend, full meat version. Thank you for your many, many recipes I’ve downloaded.
Thanks! We switched to a new plugin to display the recipes last summer/fall. :)
Since I’ve become obsessed with my Instant Pot since I got it, do you think this would be easily converted to the IP?
This looks great! Would a pressure cooker be useful for speeding up the bean cooking?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work well.
I have been craving vegetarian soup lately but been bored of my go-to’s, so this is perfect! They don’t sell 15 or any dry bean mixes here in Norway, but they do sell a canned version of 4 beans, so I think I’ll convert this recipie to accomidate canned beans instead. I’ll probably also puree a bit to make it thicken since canned beans don’t thicken as dry does.
Yum, yum! Thanks for the idea, Beth!
Where would I find the 15 bean soup mix?
Check the soup/bean aisle at the market. That’s where I typically see it. Now I have a use for them (other than using the seasoning packet).
My mom will love this (she is a senior and cook lots of meals for her). She loved the black-eyed peas & greens recipe.
At my Kroger store, I found the 15 bean soup mix (on sale) in the rice/bean section.
I have been making this soup for at least 10 years when my mother-in-law’s Doctor suggested it for her health. Yummy is how i’d describe and everytime i make this soup i’m reminded of my late mother-in-law.
Yum! I am thinking I will add bay leaf, sub veggie broth, and mix in a stiff green like kale or collard greens in the last 15 minutes. Served with homemade cornbread, this is my ideal food! :)
that sounds delicious!
How would this fare in a slow cooker?
Asking the important questions! Slow Cooker Black Bean soup and the slow cooker jambalaya are my favorite budget byte recipes
I think I would avoid a slow cooker for this one simply because some beans (kidney, cannellini, and any in that family) shouldn’t be cooked in a slow cooker. They contain a natural substance that is toxic and has to be boiled heavily to break it down. Slow cookers don’t get the beans boiling enough to accomplish this.
The soup looks absolutely amazing. Is it possible that I can use half vegetable broth and water for flavor? I apologize for asking a stupid question. Thanks, Beth!! :-)
That’s not a stupid question. :) Yes, you can substitute vegetable broth for the water. It will be even more flavorful that way and you’ll probably need less salt at the end.
15 beans? I have never heard of such a soup mix. I love the photos. The soup looks so good. The soup looks like it would taste better over time. If I try this recipe I will need a bigger pot because it is time consuming I would like the deliciousness to last. LOL.