Kidney bean soup is a delicious and budget-friendly soup made with kidney beans and tomatoes. It’s spiced with aromatic spices, finished with refreshing lime juice, and topped with crispy tortilla chips, sharp cheddar, tangy sour cream, and crispy bacon.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious soup:
- bacon – fat rendered from bacon is used to saute the vegetables while the crispy bacon bits are used as a topping, if you don’t want to use bacon, add some smoked paprika to the soup
- veggies: onion, bell pepper
- spices and aromatics: fresh garlic, aromatic spices (chili powder which is a spice mix not pure ground chili peppers, oregano, cumin, paprika, coriander, and cinnamon), tomato paste
- canned kidney beans – we’re using the beans and their liquid – it adds additional bean flavor and thickens the soup
- canned crushed tomatoes – if you’re gonna use diced or whole canned tomatoes, puree them with a mixer until they resemble crushed tomatoes, the consistency of crushed tomatoes is better for this soup
- chicken broth
- lime juice – is absolutely necessary – it adds a citrusy flavor and a tang to the soup
There are a couple of ingredients and spices needed to make this soup – they are really necessary. Kidney beans alone taste rather bland so you need lots of aromatic spices to make them stand out.
Toppings – they are optional but they really take this soup to another level:
- crunchy bacon
- creamy avocado
- sharp shredded cheddar
- crispy tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- fragrant cilantro
- tangy sour cream
This soup can also be made vegetarian by omitting bacon and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Dice the onion, finely chop garlic, cut bell pepper into small cubes, and bacon into 3/4-1 inch cubes (2-2.5 cm).
STEP 2: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes until it’s browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon/spider strainer to a plate, leaving the oil/fat in the pot (you should have about 2-3 tablespoons of fat).
You could also cook bacon in the oven and add cooked and crispy bacon directly to the mushroom sauce. You can still use bacon grease from cooking it in the oven to sautee the onions and bell pepper.
STEP 3: Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for about 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft.
STEP 4: Add the garlic and all the spices, cook for 30 seconds.
STEP 5: Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
STEP 6: Add kidney beans with their liquid, crushed tomatoes, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
STEP 7: Take the pot off the heat. Puree half of the soup with a blender, add it back to the pot (you can also blend the whole soup but I prefer it part creamy part chunky). Season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
STEP 8: Assemble: ladle soup into bowls, stir in some chopped cilantro, top with reserved bacon, diced avocado, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips/crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.
Enjoy!
Storage
This soup reheats very well. Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months – it freezes very well.
More soup recipes you may like
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Turkey Tortilla Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
- Salmon Chowder
- Vegetable Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Tomato Soup with Mushroom
- Stuffed Cabbage Soup
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Kidney Bean Soup
Ingredients
for the soup:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 15 slices smoked bacon 5 ounces/150g
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander dried
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broths 480ml
- 3 cans kidney beans (with liquid) 14-oz/400ml
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 14-oz/400ml
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- chopped cilantro leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
- fried/baked tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- avocado
- sour cream
- shredded sharp cheddar
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Instructions
- Dice the onion, finely chop garlic, cut bell pepper into small cubes, and bacon into 3/4-1 inch cubes (2-2.5 cm).
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes until it’s browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon/spider strainer to a plate, leaving the oil/fat in the pot (you should have about 2-3 tablespoons of fat).
- Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for about 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft.
- Add the garlic and all the spices, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
- Add kidney beans with their liquid, crushed tomatoes, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat. Puree half of the soup with a blender, add it back to the pot (you can also blend the whole soup but I prefer it part creamy part chunky). Season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Assemble: ladle soup into bowls, stir in some chopped cilantro, top with reserved bacon, diced avocado, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips/crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Chili powder is a spice mix, not 100% ground chili peppers.
- If you’re gonna use diced or whole canned tomatoes, puree them with a mixer until they resemble crushed tomatoes, the consistency of crushed tomatoes is better for this soup.
- You can add some smoked paprika to the soup if you want it more smokey.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the soup), doesn’t include toppings. This is only an estimate!
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