Chunky Baked Bean Soup

Written by Published on in Lunchbox Friendly, One-pot Dishes, Soups, Vegan Friendly

The low-calorie, fibre and protein-rich baked beans is made from navy beans. Navy beans, also known as haricot beans, is typically slow-cooked in sauce and then baked for long hours. By doing so, the beans are perfectly cooked, and get infused in the flavourful sauce.

I haven’t tried my hand at making baked beans from scratch, and it is all thanks to the readily available canned/bottled variants. When I see a special on baked beans, I stock up my pantry with it. Baked beans are a great addition to breakfast, and make a filling mid-meal snack.

This time, the tasty and healthy baked beans come in a soupy avatar. Teamed with nutritious vegetables and a serving of bread, this soup is a meal in itself.

Ingredients

  • Baked beans in tomato sauce (Low sodium) – 1 can
  • Stock/ water – 4 cups
  • Onion – 1, roughly chopped
  • Celery stalk – 1, roughly chopped
  • Carrot – 1, roughly chopped
  • Spinach – a handful
  • Garlic – 3 cloves, peeled and rougjly chopped
  • Chilli powder or paprika – ½ tspn
  • Oil – ½ tblspn
  • Worcestershire sauce ( Optional) – 1 or 2 tblspns
  • Salt and pepper – To taste

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a pot, add garlic and onions. Cook the onions till it is moderately soft.
  2. Add the celery stalks and carrot chunks. Sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Toss in the chilli powder and mix well.
  4. Pour the stock into the pot, and bring it to a boil.
  5. Once it boils, allow the vegetables to simmer until soft.
  6. Ensure the vegetables are not too mushy. This should take about 15 minutes.
  7. To the simmering mixture, add the baked beans and Worcestershire sauce.
  8. Mix to combine the ingredients.
  9. Turn the flame to high, and cover the pot. Allow the soup to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Before turning the stove off, add the spinach leaves. Give it another minute, and then turn off the stove.
  10. Canned baked beans is normally seasoned.
  11. Use caution when adding salt and pepper. Taste the soup once before seasoning it.
  12. Serve hot with a side of bread or dinner rolls.

Tips:

  1. I have used low-sodium baked beans. There are several variants available, pick the one that you like.
  2. The beans, Worcestershire sauce and stock have some amount of salt in them. Use caution when adding salt.
  3. Vegetables like pumpkin, squash, zucchini make great additions in the soup.
  4. I have used low-fat cheddar cheese. You any cheese of your liking, or you could skip it, if you don’t want cheese in your soup.

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