A slow simmer pot of beans is the definition of vegetarian comfort food for me. This brothy beans recipe is deep and rich with fairly simple ingredients. Beans get so silky! As with any time we cook beans from scratch, it takes about 1.5 hours total to boil. But this time is mostly passive, you only need to pop over to the stovetop a few times to stir and check the level of the vegetable stock.
To flavor the beans, I sauteed onions, shallots, celery, minced garlic, herbs and spices as the broth base. Smoked paprika and ground pepper add nice depth, along with thyme and oregano. A little light browning on the onions, shallots and celery also enhances the deliciousness. I pre-soak the beans with some salt in the water, a tip I learned from Serious Eats. This helps ensure that the beans are well-ripened from the start. I finish these brothy white beans with miso to emphasize the umami, lemon juice to boost the acidity, and fresh chopped herbs like dill and parsley.
What beans to use for bean soup?
- For this recipe, I recommend any kind of white beans. I used ayacot blanco beans from Primary Beans here, and they were so silky and satisfying.
- Navy beans, cannellini beans (sometimes called white kidney beans), corona or lima beans will all work.
- Cooking dried beans can vary quite a bit! Cooking time and how much vegetable stock you’ll need depends on many factors! This is really a situation where it’s best to cook by feel and intuition with the recipe as a guide. I give lots of hints and tips in the recipe if it’s your first time.
To store leftover soup beans, cool them thoroughly and transfer to a sealable container. These will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze beans in containers for up to 6 months. Refrigerate the pans overnight before reheating on the stove.
Fans of this recipe may also enjoy my Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale. You can also make them into a soup beans with greens kind of situation! Just chop a small bunch of kale, dandelion or mustard greens and add them at the end, until the greens are wilted and soft.
One-Pot Brothy Beans with Herbs and Lemon
These one-pot vegan brothy beans are super flavorful with herbs, lemon, garlic, and umami-rich miso paste added at the end. A deep savory pot of beans waits after 1 ½ hours of mostly passive simmering.
serving 6 -8
material
- 1 pounds Soak white beans overnight in water to cover and 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 table spoon olive oil
- 1 the middle Yellow onion, peeled and quartered (leave the root intact)
- 2 Shallot, peeled and quartered (leave root intact)
- 1 the stick Celery, cut into 3-4 large pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 table spoon Thyme leaves, minced
- 1 table spoon Oregano leaves, minced
- ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Chili or chili flakes
- 6-12 the cup Vegetable extract (see vaccine)
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ table spoon Light miso
- Lemon juice, to taste (I prefer 1-2 tablespoons)
- Handful of fresh dill or parsley, chopped
Comment
- I wound up using a total of 12 cups of broth for my pot of beans. It will vary depending on which beans you are using, how long you soak them, how old they are, etc. I know that’s not very specific, but that’s how beans are sometimes lol.
- i have used Ayocote Blanco beans from Primary Beans Here. Any type of white bean (navy, butter beans, cannellini, corona) is great.
- I fish out the celery, bay leaf and finally some big bits of onion. But aside from that, I leave most of the onions in the pot because I love them. Of course, if you have the patience and want to strictly enjoy the beans and broth, you can recover all the bits.
- You can keep them in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- You can use dried herbs instead of fresh – just substitute 1 ½ teaspoons for both thyme and oregano.
- You can also make them into a soup beans with greens kind of situation! Just chop a small bunch of kale, dandelion or mustard greens and add them at the end, until the greens are wilted and soft.
instructions
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I soak my beans overnight in plenty of hot water to dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt! I learned this trick from Serious Eats. When you are ready to cook the beans, drain and rinse them. Set aside.
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Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When it is hot, pour it in the oil and swirl it around. Place the quartered onions, shallots and celery pieces in the bowl. Allow them to lightly brown on one side and then stir/flip the pieces. Continue cooking until all sides are slightly golden. This process should take about 10 minutes.
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Add the bay leaves, garlic, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika and pepper. Stir and fry until very fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
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Add the dried beans and stir. Then, add 6 cups of vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper (being aware of the salty miso we’ll add at the end) and stir. Place the lid on top, tilt slightly. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
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Simmer the beans for about 1 ½ hours, checking them every 30 minutes or so. If the vegetable stock level is low, add more to the cup. Once your beans are very tender and silky, they are good to go. I like to eat 3-5 beans so the whole batch is good. The batch I cooked here boiled for 1 hour 45 minutes.
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Fish out the celery, large pieces of bay leaf and any onion/shallots you like (I kept most of them).
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In a liquid measuring cup, combine the miso and a few ladlefuls of the hot stock from the pot. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the miso and then pour the mixture into the bowl. Stir. Check the beans for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add lemon juice to taste and stir. Garnish beans with chopped dill/parsley.
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Serve the bean broth with warm bread and top with extra black pepper.
