Hearty Potato and Bean Soup
Who doesn’t love a hot bowl of soup on a dreary winter day?! This hearty potato and bean soup is full of delicious goodness that will warm you up from the inside out! Made with simple pantry ingredients including canned diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and dried beans, it’s perfect to make on a cozy Sunday and have leftovers for lunches!
I remember WAY back in the day when I was in grade school, if I was home sick my mom would make me a big bowl of soup, usually tomato, with a grilled cheese sandwich, and I would snuggle up on the couch to watch The Price Is Right! Since then, I have always thought of soup as the ultimate comfort food.
When I am looking for comfort on cold winter days, homemade soup is my go-to. Some of my other favourites are Cauliflower and Cheese soup or creamy Potato Leek soup which despite just how creamy it is, has no cream in the recipe at all!
This bean soup recipe makes enough for 4 generous servings, but I tend to have smaller servings with a piece of fresh bread along side it. Since there are just the two of us at home now, I will often freeze half to pull out and heat up on a busy weeknight. But it’s also a delicious excuse to invite friends to an impromptu dinner party!
Ingredients You Will Need
- dried mixed beans (pinto, navy, kidney)*
- large onion
- large carrot
- canned diced tomatoes
- 2 potatoes
- Spices including chili powder, ground cloves, salt & pepper
- parsley (dried or fresh)
- fresh lemon juice
- vegetable broth
- butter
*Dried beans need to be soaked for 8 to 10 hours prior to cooking, so do this over night, or if you plan to prepare in the evening, put them in to soak first thing in the morning.
The beauty of homemade soups is that they are made with fresh ingredients. No chemicals, no preservatives, just wholesome goodness. I control the amount and type of salt that goes in, (which honestly is minimal), and I love experimenting with different spices for rich flavour. Plus, you can throw in so many different veggies or leftover meats, making it easy to use what you have on hand!
How to Make Potato and Bean Soup
Be sure to see the full printable recipe card below!
STEP ONE
The night before or early the morning you plan to make this soup, rinse beans and place in a large bowl and cover with cold water by at about 2 inches. Allow them to soak for a minimum of 8 hours, but no longer than 10 hours. Drain and rinse well.
STEP TWO
Place beans in a dutch oven or large soup pot with six cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. While the beans are simmering, chop the onion, potatoes and carrots, measure spices and juice lemon and set aside.
STEP THREE
After beans have simmered for about an hour add chopped onion, chopped carrot, canned tomatoes, chopped potatoes, spices and lemon juice and vegetable broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper). Bring back to boil then reduce heat to simmer for another 30 minutes, or until beans are tender and potatoes are cooked. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir through until melted.
Add more vegetable broth if you prefer a more brothy soup.
Other than the soaking time, this hearty soup takes about 1 1/2 hours to make. If I am making it during the week, I soak the beans when I first get up (around 6:30 or 7 am, and then start to prep about 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon. A hot and delicious dinner is ready when it’s time to sit down for dinner.
Substitutions
This homemade soup is easy to customize by using whatever type of beans you prefer. I tend to use a mix of pinto and navy beans as that is what I always have in my pantry. Here are a few other ways to make this soup your own:
- use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes
- use vegetable broth in place of the water to cook the beans in for extra flavour
- sauce the onions and carrots in a bit of olive oil before adding to the soup
- add a handful of chopped kale or spinach a few minutes before it is ready
- use fire roasted diced tomatoes for an extra-fancy flavour
- add more vegetable broth to reach the consistency of your liking
Can You Use Canned Beans instead of Dry
Yes, I think you could. I have not tested this recipe with canned beans, as I like the low cost of dried beans, and don’t find it inconvenient to soak ahead of time. Just something to keep in mind if you want to try it, as I don’t know exactly what the final result will be.
Canned beans are already cooked, so you would skip the soaking and the initial 1 hour cooking. You would also need to reduce the liquid slightly, as some evaporation occurs when cooking dried beans.
I would suggest adding the chopped vegetables, spices and canned tomatoes to about 4 to 5 cups broth, bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes before adding canned beans and continue simmering until potatoes are tender. Add more broth to achieve desired consistency.
Use 2 to 2 1/2 – 15 ounce cans of beans in place of the 1 cup dried and soaked. Be sure to drain the beans before adding them to the soup!
Other Soup Recipes You Might Like
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
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Potato and Bean Soup
Equipment
- 1 soup pot or enamelled dutch oven
- 1 large glass bowl
- knives for chopping veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry mixed beans Soaked for 8 to 10 hours
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter, optional
Instructions
- Rinse beans and soak covered with cold water for 8 to 10 hours (or overnight). Drain and rinse well.
- Place soaked beans in a large stock pot with 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
- Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, canned tomatoes (undrained), chopped potatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cloves, basil, parsely, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Return to boil; reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered, for a further 30 minutes, until beans and potatoes are tender. For extra flavour add 2 tablespoons of butter, allow to melt and stir through before serving.
