Looking for a healthy dish or just missing the beloved beans? Let’s check out this Red kidney bean soup recipe for tasty meals!

As they say, not every carbs being created equal. There are bad carbs and good carbs nowadays. The bad carbs are the ones that haven’t got much nutritional benefits for our body. These carbs mostly provide a ton of pure energy quickly which gets absorbed by our body quickly and as a result of all this we get hungry again quickly.

As an evolutionary result of our being between these feasting periods we are putting on extra weight getting ready for the times when there won’t be much food available. The only problem is that probably that time won’t come into our super civilized industrialized life. In our XXI. century prowling area food is only a door away and opening that door doesn’t burn much calories.

The good carbs are supposed to be better carbs because -apart of the energy- we gain various vitamins, minerals and fiber that our body needs to function well. These carbs are being absorbed slower by our body which results elongated times feeling satisfied and looking for food again. Fewer meals results less calorie intake and on the long run balanced diet with less fat on us.

When we worked on farms toiling soil all day long there were no such things though. In those times bad carbs were the good carbs because they provided sufficient calories for the long day of work in the harsh environment. Nonetheless if they didn’t get the vitamins and minerals that resulted in weakened immune system and early death by some trivial common cold virus.

Beans are high in protein, folate, iron and complex carbohydrates. Consuming beans adds significant amount of fiber and soluble fiber to a diet, with one cup of cooked beans providing between nine and thirteen grams of fiber. Soluble fiber could help lower blood cholesterol. Adults are recommended to have up to two (female), and three (male) servings. 3/4 cup of cooked beans provide one serving.

So red kidney beans are good carbs except they are toxic and we can die from eating them raw. We have to boil them for at least 30 minutes to reduce its toxin content to unharmful level. Not as they were such fun to eat them raw as anyone would want to chew on them but if somebody is thinking about using a nice and shiny slow cooker it isn’t recommended for red kidney beans.

This recipe will use all the goodies one can find making a lovely meat filled soup or some may call it red bean stew but at the end the name won’t matter much. Only the taste matters.

We use here salted and sliced pork belly to make the fat necessary to fry the onion but that can be completely substituted with cooking oil too. It’s up to individual tastes what to use here as it won’t affect the outcome too much.

Onions can be left longer on low heat to caramelize instead of the simple translucent/glassy look. The caramelized onion will provide thicker texture as it will dissolve in the soup and it will provide a slightly sweeter taste at the end.

Smoked and dried Spanish chorizo and ham can be used if available as flavor enhancers providing a smokey aftertaste for the red bean soup. Although, these can be hard to get ingredients so substituting them with smoked bacon of some sort could be an option as well as leaving them completely out too.

This red bean soup recipe uses creame fresh to thicken the soup’s texture and bind together the flavors of various meats but it can be substituted with sour cream or plain yogurt as well if necessary. This is completely optional and should be served in a saucer separate to the soup allowing everybody the freedom of choice.

Ingredients

1 lb / 500g Red bean
1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
2 oz / 50g Pork belly or Bacon (optionally ½cup / 100ml cooking oil)
2 medium / 300 Onion (diced)
2 medium / 150g Carrots
1 stalk / 150g Celery
4 cloves Garlic
6 Black pepper (whole)
2 medium Tomato
1 teaspoon Paprika (or cayanne, chili powder if hot preferred)
1 slice Spanish ham (optional)
8 slices Spanish chorizo (optional like this)
1 lb / 500 Pork (diced) or Bone
2 teaspoons / 10g Salt
12 oz / 400g Carrot (sliced)
2 piece Laurel leaf (optional)
1 handful Spinach (optional)
1 Parsnip or Hamburg parsley root (optional)
7 cup / 1.7L Water

How to make Red kidney bean soup

Dry beans needs to be soaked well before cooking. Generally it needs at least 12 hours of soaking but instructions are on the packaging for the particular types. Rinse the beans before placing them into a pot. Fill the pot with water and then add a teaspoon of salt to the soaking water. Put the lid on as to avoid any unwelcomed guest dying into our next day meal.
Slice up the pork belly or the bacon then fry it on medium heat until it loses most of its fat content. We can skip this step and use any kind of cooking oil or lard instead of making one.
Add the diced onion on top with a teaspoon of salt. Saute the onion until it gets a translucent/glassy look.
Add the diced carrot and celery too. If there is time we can also caramelize a bit the onion by lowering the heat and frying and stirring it until it gets a light brownish color. This would take around 15-25 minutes. It gives sweet flavor to the soup and a thicker texture at the end so it’s definitely worth it.
Add the chopped up or sliced garlic, black pepper, tomato, paprika and if used jamon serrano or chorizo, then saute it for a minute or so until the garlic lets out it’s lovely scent. Mind not to burn it though as that will ruin the dish.
Add the meat or the bone, beans, laurel leaves, salt to taste and pull it up with water.
Put the lid on, bring it to boil then cook it on low heat for about an hour. After about 50 minutes check by tasting if the beans are tender enough or still too tough. When the beans are soft but still have some hard bits that means that it’s soon going to be ready. Add the carrots and any optional vegetables then bring the water to boil.
From the boiling point cook it for 10 more minutes or until the vegetables reach desired texture. Keep in mind that vegetables will cook in the residual heat. Serve it with a teaspoon of creame fraiche, sour cream or plain natural yoghurt.

Enjoy!

Note:

Bean soup can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days sometimes even longer but before serving the amount of soup we need, boil it first. If it gets foamy it is very likely that it’s gone. Further tasting and a sour unbearable flavor would confirm our suspicion.

Legumes are a great choice to make big batches then freeze them for later use. The red bean soup freezes well except the optional vegetables suffer from thawing a little bit and they won’t be so crunchy as when cooked fresh. Otherwise, the soup tastes defrosted almost like fresh or sometimes even better as the second heating could thicken it’s texture and bring together its flavors.

The world of legumes is so wide that it would be a pity if we had to stop here. Let’s try them out all:

F.A.Q.

Are red kidney beans healthy?

Yes red kidney beans are healthy given that they are prepared properly. They are excellent source for protein besides being rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fibers.

Are kidney beans toxic?

Yes, raw kidney beans are toxic. Even eating as few as 4-5 uncooked red kidney beans can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhea in 1-3 hours after ingestion. Worry not though as the toxic compound called phytohaemagglutinin is destroyed during the soaking and cooking process.

What kind of bean is a kidney bean?

The kidney bean is a common bean known to the scientific world as Phaseolus vulgaris. Its name is derived from the fact that it resembles a kidney as much in shape as in color.

Are canned red kidney beans safe to eat?

Yes, canned red kidney beans are safe to eat. They already went through the preparation process that destroys the toxins found in raw red kidney beans.