That brown looking blob is not a Tootsie Roll in my soup. [Or any other little brown thing you can think of.] It’s a huge bean!!!
I found these HUUUUGE beans in our Whole Foods bulk bins. I love huge beans! The bigger the better – they have more meat to chew. Last night I soaked them in water and this morning I simmered them for about an hour until they were tender while I did house things. That meant when it was time to make tonight’s dinner I had minimal prep to do.
To make this simple soup, I tossed a few more foods into a pot and simmered for 30 minutes.
The whole was greater than the sum of its parts!
Huge Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 quart of dried beans soaked and cooked (about 6 cups after cooking, maybe 3 whole cans worth? You can just eyeball the volume beans as they won’t really change the soup much.)
- 2 slices of bacon optional
- 1 huge sweet potato microwaved until its soft and cut into cubes (if you skip microwaving, cook soup a little longer)
- 2 big carrots diced
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 small bunch collard greens cleaned and chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Many grinds of black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Gold Herby Nuggets OR some fresh garlic and a few dried herbs of your choice
Instructions
- Once beans are cooked, sweet potato is tender, carrots and greens are clean and chopped, add bacon to big pot to brown.
- When bacon is brown, add carrot, sweet potato and beans and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add stock and spices. Stir.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Top with fresh greens, stir and cover with lid.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes, longer if desired.
We served the soup with stuffing bread croutons made fresh at the bakery today. The stuffing bread tastes like stuffing but it also makes good stuffing!
Matt RAVED about this. He proclaimed it his ideal soup!
I raved about his new smoked brown ale. Maybe my ideal brown ale!?
The Lord of the Rings saga continues in our family room. Although I just missed 45 minutes of The Two Towers while I was blogging!
Krissy - Shiawase Life says
that stuffing bread is incredible!!!
KathEats says
glad you like it!!
kathleen @ the daily crumb says
what a perfect winter’s night dinner. i love soups when the weather starts turning cold… glad to know that’s a bean and not a tootsie!
lynn @ the actor's diet says
holy bean. it does look like…a tootsie.
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says
That soup looks delicious and I have never seen such large beans!!! That’s crazy!
Lyn @ Life Lyn Style says
is the stuffing bread whole wheat based?
KathEats says
About 1/3 whole wheat
Maria @ Sinfully Nutritious says
Exactly how big are those beans? I always put butter beans in my soups, because they are big, and I love their name!
KathEats says
They’re the size of my thumb digit!
Mara @ What's for Dinner? says
People always look at me like I’m crazy when I use those giant beans. I love them!
I actually thought of you today, while shopping at Nordstrom… my salesman’s name was Kale!
KathEats says
Haha – that’s a pretty cool name!!
Lorin says
I just ordered the Chia Charger pack for an early christmas present. So excited!!
KathEats says
You will love it!
Lynda @ healthy Hoboken girl says
You guys are too cute. Sounds like a perfect night in, warm soup, big beans, the couch and a good movie. Happy Friday!
Cait's Plate says
Oh my gosh I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bean so big in my life!! Looks delicious – perfect for this cooler weather 🙂
Happy Friday – enjoy your LOTR marathon 🙂
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
A LOTR night sounds like my kind of Friday- although, if I’m going to sit down and watch a trilogy, it’s going to be Star Wars 🙂
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
Holyyyy crap! I’m a fan. Bigger the better, no? I’m tempted to do an internship with you this summer and eat a large amount of GH bread every day
KathEats says
🙂
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
I’m with you! The bigger the better when it comes to beans—- and chocolate bars AND wine glasses 🙂
Amy says
Did the beans have a name? I’ve never seen anything like them!
KathEats says
They did, but I didn’t happen to see it. I’ll try to look next time I’m there
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
That does NOT look like a bean! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so big (I’ll just say it before anyone else does…TWSS ;))
Army Amy* says
The beans look like bugs! I’ve never eaten a bug, but I’m sure the beans taste better.*
Gena says
Glad I caught this tweet, lady. Gorgeous looking soup!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
I think Tootsie Roll soup could be pretty good…that is, with a ‘broth’ of caramel sauce or something similar 🙂
Soup looks good…enjoy your weekend!
KathEats says
Ha!
Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon says
Mmm…that looks so delicious! I’ve never added collards to my soup before!
Erika - The Teenage Taste says
Looks like a very delicious dinner, Kath! Thanks for sharing the soup recipe!
Clare @ SweetnSimple says
Looks delicious! If only we had the weather for hot soup here..
Kel@The Kel Show says
Have you ever tried beans from ranchogordo.com? We have a local specialty grocer that carries them. They can range in price, but I can honestly tell you that the beans from there are the BEST I have ever had! They have a Christmas Lima that is fantastic and meaty!
The soup looks great!
KathEats says
I just got some from Foodbuzz!!
Angel7 says
That made me chuckle when you compared the bean in your soup to a Tootsie roll 🙂 I did not know what it was at first.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Jen says
The soup looks delish. Sad that your missing stuff cause your on the computer though -get off and go watch some Hobbits save the world!
Julia H. @ The Petite Spiel says
Whoah, what? Those beans are crazy! Perfect name for the dish, though–“huge bean soup”. Classic.
erica says
that is the hugest bean i’ve ever seen!
lindzjane115 says
I LOVE your soup bowls! Where did you find them?
KathEats says
Pottery Barn Great White!
Khushboo says
I love soup with beans, always so hearty!
Baking Serendipity says
The ale and the soup make the perfect comfort food evening 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever seen such huge beans! Adding this to my Whole Foods list for sure!
Kelly @ Foodie Fiasco says
Um, that wouldn’t serve six. One, MAYBE two.
Maybe.
Maya says
Hi Kath, I’m a big fan and a longtime reader (over 3 years, religiously). I think your blog is great and always interesting. I actually find myself missing it when I haven’t clicked in a few hours.
There is one thing that has been bothering me for a long time: your use of palm oil. http://ran.org/palm-oil
It’s in all of those nut butters you sell on OpenSky (I’ve checked.), biscoff, everywhere. It’s terrible for the environment and completely irresponsible to buy. You might as well be eating shark fins. As someone who is trying to extoll the virtues of green living, and in fact, winning awards for that, you might want to look into the horrors of palm oil. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/forests/forests-worldwide/paradise-forests/palm-oil/
KathEats says
Maya,
I’m aware of the environmental impact of palm oil. Most of the nut butters I eat don’t have it (chia charger, sunflower butter, coconut butter, TJ’s peanut butter) but yes, a few do – like Barney Butter and Biscoff. If I had my choice of a palm oil nut butter or one with less ingredients, I would choose the simpler list. I think this is one of those earth-friendly things where you just have to choose your battles. We all can’t be perfect 100% of the time, and the palm oil in these products is in awfully low amounts. I do a lot of other things to lower my footprint.
Kate says
Yum, soup. So I have a silly question about the ale: is it actually “smoked”? I have a friend who has a smoker and sometimes smokes things like whiskey. I don’t really understand how it works and am quite curious now!
Happy weekend!
KathEats says
It’s make with smoked malt!
Irina says
To start with I thought it was something that accidentally landed in your soup, but then read it was a giant bean. It looks great, love huge beans, like butter beans, but this one looks even bigger. Lovely soup too 🙂
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
That sounds like pretty much my ideal soup too! I love soups with squash or sweet potato in them!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
How cool! I’ve never seen beans that big 🙂
Lee says
That looks like a small stuffed grape leaf!
Tammy says
I’m actually really afraid to eat beans. I have terrible bloating and digestion problems and I fear that beans will make them worse, you know? I’ve heard that lentils might be a good starting point? I’m not sure which ones and how much to try at once in order to try and ease into them. I usually buy the low sodium canned beans.
KathEats says
Beans can be hard on the GI tract, and you’re right that I think lentils are a bit easier to digest. The huge beans are probably not the best starting place 😉
Karen says
Tammy – You might want to try sprouted mung beans – they cook in 5 minutes (no soaking necessary) and are known for their easy digestion. I usually add them to salads to boost the protein content (10 grams = 1/4 cup!) Lentils would be a better choice for soups.
Susan H. @ the food allergy chronicles says
Fall and soup go hand in hand! Stuffing bread! How cool is that!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count says
Do those beans have a name? I’ve never seen anything like them!
KathEats says
They do but I didn’t note it!
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) says
Speaking of soup… I had lentil soup for the first time last night and it was amazing! I am such a fan and want to recreate it at home soon.
Molly @ RDexposed says
I’m not crazy about brown ales in general, but I would love to sample Matt’s!
~Christy @ wonderofallthings says
LOVE brown ales — sounds awesome. Was it really one he brewed or was it Moose Drool brown?
KathEats says
A clone of Moose Drool made with smoked malt!
~Christy @ wonderofallthings says
Awesome! We’ve brewed before but it’s been a while…becoming inspired to go for it again 🙂 Thanks!
Kelly says
They look like they’re fava beans– a common ingredient found in the Middle East (look up foul- pronounced fool- recipes)! YUM.
Audley McConnell says
I believe those huge beans could be fava beans , you know like in Silence of the Lambs ! MMMM fava beans and liver Clarise ! Beans , beans the musical fruit ! The more you eat , the more you toot ! The more you toot , the better you feel , so eat beans for every meal !! ENJOY 11 Audie