The Perfect Winter Dish: Hearty Bean Soup Recipe

The beauty of this soup recipe is that you can make a big batch and freeze it for your next meal. It’s easy to defrost and reheat on a lazy evening or even as a quick afternoon lunch.

Helpful tips

Start by soaking the beans for a few hours. When soaked, start the cooking process by browning the stewing beef. This not only seals in the flavour but also makes the meat softer in the end. Then, fry the garlic onions together with the meat.

Its time to add those beans! Add water and chopped carrots to the pot with the beans, give it a good stir, and bring to a simmer with the lid on. Remember, it shouldn’t boil. It would be a good idea to taste if the beans are fully cooked before continuing from here. Nobody likes raw beans!

Now it’s about flavour. I use brown onion soup powder and canned tomatoes instead of stock. You could even add a little red wine. Simmer again, and enjoy.

When freezing the soup, I like to use zip-lock bags as they are easy to pop into the freezer and yield the perfect portion for two people. This way you won’t have to defrost the whole batch.

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Bean Soup Recipe

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Recipe by Timone Van NiekerkCourse: DinnerCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

55

minutes

Healthy and hearty bean soup recipe packed full of flavour.

Ingredients

• 1 litre of water plus 1 cup water (divided)

• 400 g stewing beef, cut into chunks

• 5 medium carrots, chopped

• 400 g speckled beans

• 2 onions, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, diced

• 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons brown onion soup powder

• oil for frying

• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder

• salt and pepper

Method

• Soak the beans in 1 liter of water for one hour then strain.
• In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the stewing meat until browned. Add the onions and garlic and fry until translucent.
• Add four cups of water, and the soaked beans and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until cooked, with the pot lid sealed tightly.
• Add the carrots and canned tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Mix the brown onion soup powder with a cup of water and add it to the pot. Then add the chilli powder, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for another 10 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve warm or freeze.

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