Three-Bean Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make bean soup thick? ›

In a separate bowl, dissolve a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or all-purpose flour in a small amount of cold water. Add the slurry to the bubbling soup. The soup should thicken up. Add more cornstarch or flour as needed until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

Try adding some acidity. A splash of lemon juice or a tablespoon of white wine vinegar can brighten the flavors of the soup.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 201 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 755mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 10g fiber), 12g protein.

Step 2: Thicken the soup.

Sprinkle in flour then cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. The addition of flour to the Ham and Bean Soup will give it a nice velvety texture.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

About this method: One of the most common ways to thicken sauces and soups is with a starch-based slurry, and cornstarch is a popular choice. Cornstarch is flavorless, easy to mix up, and versatile, which makes it a go-to pantry ingredient.

We use ingredients that help ease bean digestion. Onions, garlic and cumin help – but the star ingredient? Apple cider vinegar, which breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion.

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

Absolutely, bean soup can be a fantastic addition to your daily diet, but like everything, it should be consumed in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. Rich in Fiber: Beans are a stellar source of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion and helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

The bottom line is that beans should be a staple in your diet, especially if you have diabetes. A study published in the journal JAMA found that eating more beans, lentils, and other legumes helped people with type 2 diabetes gain better glycemic control and lower their risk of heart disease.

Is it healthy to eat bean soup everyday? ›

Yes! "Eating beans, including canned beans, every day is one of the best things you can do to help increase nutrients [that you may fall short on] and substantially improve the quality of your diet," says Papanikolaou.

Honestly, if you just stir in a little instant mash, like Smash, your soup will thicken up in no time at all. Now, you may end up needing more than a spoonful, but it's best to add a little at a time, because remember, you can always add more of it, but you can't take it away.

This soup-thickening hack couldn't be easier. Unlike using flour, which requires either making a little roux before you start cooking or a beurre manié afterwards, or using a cornstarch slurry that can create a gloppy texture, the instant mashed potato flakes can simply be sprinkled into the finished dish.

Soup beans are not soup, but these slowly simmered beans are soupy, bathed in a rich, creamy, nutritious pot likker (or "pot liquor") that's inseparable from the beans themselves, sometimes literally. Each time you reheat soup beans, the beans get creamier, and their liquid gets thicker and more delicious.

You can also thicken soup by puréeing it with cooked beans or lentils. White beans like cannellini beans or navy beans are especially good for puréeing. This recipe for Creamy Italian White Bean Soup is a great place to start. Puréeing hearty winter vegetables like butternut and kabocha squash will also do the trick.

Starch absorbs liquid, thickening the dish. Beans are high in starch; they are, according to a study published by ACS Publications, between 60-70% starch and 15-30% protein. Once that starch is freed by puréeing or mashing the bean from its skin, the starch molecules get to work absorbing liquid.

The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.