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How would you make a bean soup to taste better

Posted: Jul 25, 2010

I'd like a vegetarian type bean soup. I had a recipe that I followed but it tasted just blah to blech. One of those I don't know whether I like it but its bordering on a "no" (if that makes sense). I want to use swiss chard and garlic in it. What I had originally done was cut some swiss chard from my garden, sauteed it in garlic and a little olive oil. Then I added 2 cans of vegetarian vegteble broth, 3 cups of water, and 2 cups of canelli bean, salt and pepper. I really liked the taste of the chard in it. Not crazy at all about the beans, so I'm going to try it with navy beans next time, but it's the broth that I wasn't wild about. Anyone have any suggestions on how to make this better. Would adding veggies help? Seasonings?

;

Coleman's dry mustard and seasoned pepper kicks it up. I prefer navy beans. - NM

[ In Reply To ..]
xx

start out with a mirepoix - Happy MT Robin

[ In Reply To ..]
It's a fancy french word for a base of onion, carrot and celery (aromatics). Chop those into pieces all about the same size and saute them until the onions are translucent, then add your swiss chard and garlic. You could also switch it up by roasting the aromatics first. Chop them into pieces about 1to 2 inches, coat lightly with olive oil and a little salt and roast in the oven for an hour or so and then chop them into smaller pieces and use that as the base. That will give you a different flavor profile that is really yummy.

I'd also add parsley, maybe some oregano which will give it flavor and a little bit of a bite. Basil would be good, too. You could also do something like adding a can of tomatoes to it if you like a tomatoey type of broth. Cilantro might also be a good choice if you like it. I'm not a huge cilantro fan, so I tend to go with parsley instead. If you like the flavor of bay leaves, that would also be a good choice in the simmering stage.

I love Allrecipes.com. You can get loads and loads of ideas from that site.

Wow - This sound excellent! - bad cook - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
This message is very very helpful. It sounds so delicious. I'm horrible at cooking and never know what ingredients would taste good with what (at 50 years old you'd think I know how to cook really good, especially coming from a family of good cooks). I'm definitely printing this out and going to use your ideas. I like the idea of roasting the veggies in the oven too.

Thank you so much for your input.

Bean soup - MTsouplover

[ In Reply To ..]
I think bean soup tastes better when you make the beans from scratch. Soak the navy beans overnight in enough water to cover them by about 3 inches, drain the water off the next morning and put them in the pot with new water and cook until the beans are done. Then you can add the chard, the combination of vegetables like Happy Robin said and the canned tomatoes which would give it more flavor. Also, some Tony Chachere's seasoning would give it a little spice, as long as you don't use too much. I have also had good luck using the seasoning packet that comes with some dried bean mixes. I have not looked at them to make sure they are vegetarian though. You can also blend up a cup or so of the beans and liquid and then put back in pot to thicken up the broth. Just be careful putting hot beans in the blender. I would wait for them to cool off a little before I blended them. Hope this helps!

This is an excellent suggestion too - bad cook - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I've got a couple bags of dried navy beans here and I'm going to try out your suggestions too.

I wish I cooked as good as I can bake. I never know what spices to use and in the past my DH has come out and told me that what I'm cooking the smell was making him nauseous. Your suggestions are really most welcome too and I'm going to try this. Between you and Happy Robin MT I think it will be good.

Thank you so much for your input.

My first thought, before I read your whole post - was BACON!! sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Oh well. Maybe some carrots and onions to sweeten it up, or you can go the tomato route with some thyme and basil. I don't know how vegetarian you are going, but parm cheese would be good too.

I woke up at 4 a.m. to put a pork shoulder in my smoker, so I don't know much about vegetarian cooking, but good luck!

I LOVE bacon - would be good - bad cook

[ In Reply To ..]
I do make an excellent ham and beans, just wanted something veggie with no meat for a change.

bacon bacon bacon (and also minestrone) - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I make a minestrone recipe that I got from the website Simply Recipes that is very flavorful, and one of the key ingredients is bacon. You could easily modify the recipe to omit bacon, add more beans, etc.

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