My homemade 3 bean soup (Vegetarian)!

Fat_Lenny

Thought I'd share a family recipe for 3 bean soup, and as with all soups, the variations can be limitless!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 pint of water
1 tin broad beans
1 tin butter beans
1 tin red kidney beans
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp mixed herbs
twist of cracked salt & pepper
1 small handful of dried spaghetti

Method:

1. Peel and dice onion into rectangles, fry in a large soup pan with a small quantity of oil, until onions are soft but not brown.

2. Add the 2 tins of chopped tomatoes. Note: Some of the mixture will evaporate, and consistency is intended to be quite thick (like minestrone), but if you prefer a more brothy texture, then 1 further tin of tomatoes can be added, or a dash of water every now and then to soften the mix.

3. Add 1 pint of water (see above for notes on consistency.)

4. Pour each tin of beans into a sieve and rinse with cold water, then add to the pan. If the beans listed are unavailable or not to your taste, you can also substitute with lentils, dried peas, or any other type of bean. (I have also made this with flageolet and azuki beans.)

5. Bring mixture to the boil, and during this time, peel and finely chop 1 clove of garlic, (garlic salt or powder can be used as an alternative.) This will be added a bit later. Once mixture is boiled, turn down to a simmer and stir regularly.

6. Take the small handful of spaghetti and break chunks into the pan. It may look like there isn't much, but don't forget pasta swells! The soup can be made without spaghetti if preferred, but I love the texture of it, and it absorbs all the wonderful flavours.

7. Leave the pan on simmer with the lid on, stirring occasionally, and when the spaghetti is completely soft, add the chopped garlic, mixed herbs, salt and pepper, and stir again.

8. Add vegetable stock cube by crumbling straight into pan or dissolve in a small amount of boiled water and pour in, (the latter method is useful if mixture has become quite thick.)

9. Add chilli sauce (or a couple of pinches of chilli powder) to give the soup a kick. Quantity can be altered or even not included at all, but I personally love a subtle taste of spice.

10. Stir occasionally and keep pan lid on to retain heat and moisture. At this point it's good to have a taste and alter seasonings to personal preference.

11. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

I make a big pan of this and eat some straight away, but often leave the rest overnight to really absorb the flavours and it tastes even better the next day, (A small amount heated in a pan with a dash of water.) This soup is also suitable for freezing!

If anyone wants to try this and upload a pic, I'd be delighted to see other people's variations on it. I froze a batch yesterday but when I eat some again, I'll try to get a pic and upload when I figure out how! :happy: