Friday, April 18, 2008

Baked Bean Soup


Healthy, filling, a unique taste, easy to make - what more can you ask for in a weeknight meal? I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, maybe because of the molasses or the vinegar (which made it slightly tangy). But when I added lots of pepper (which I don't usually do) it made it quite tasty. The pepper really complemented the flavours in the soup. And some grated Gruyere on top, yum even better.


I'm submitting this to the Cooking to Combat Cancer 2 event. This soup has a few cancer fighting ingredients: onions, tomatoes, carrots, and beans. I think we could all use some cancer fighting power so I try to eat lots of good, healthy, cancer fighting foods! Other cancer fighting foods include berries, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), flax, garlic, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, green tea, soy (in moderation), red grapes, avocados (my favourite!), chili peppers, grapefruit, mushrooms, nuts, oranges, and lemons (source, source - found through Mele Cotte). With so many choices, I'm sure everyone can easily add some more of these foods into their diet.


If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Corn Chowder


Baked Bean Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups chopped onions
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp Dijon mustard*
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups (14 oz can) undrained canned stewed tomatoes
1 2/3 cups (15 1/2 oz can) cooked kidney beans**
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot on medium-high heat, saute the onions in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and chili powder and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, water, tomatoes, beans, vinegar, molasses, and soy sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Reduce this amount if you're not a big mustard fan. I love mustard so I might add more next time.
**The recipe suggests white beans, but I think any bean would be fine.

Note: Feel free to play around with the amount of mustard, molasses, vinegar and soy sauce to suit your taste. I think sweet potato would be tasty in this soup too.

20 comments:

Mary said...

I just decided yesterday to participate in this event! your soup looks and sounds delicious....I also like your links to "if you like this, you may also like..."

Chris said...

This looks delicious and so satisfying! I have seen other recipes from Moosewood that seem yummy too...incentive to try more! Thanks you for participating in CCC2!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

That's an absolutely FABULOUS event to submit your baked bean soup recipe to - great cause!

Cakespy said...

This sounds like the ULTIMATE soup! I adore comfort-foodie things like chili and baked beans, and this seems like an amazing combination of them, healthy and comforting. Wonderful work!

Silvia - Magnolia Wedding Planner said...

Your soup is stunning. It looks really delicious!
I'll try also because I like so much the mostard!!
Thanks for the recipe
Silvia

Deborah said...

I have made a few recipes where adding either extra salt or extra pepper totally helped the dish. I think this soup sounds great!

giz said...

I'm happy to see bloggers working to change the way the eating world thinks (I guess that's everybody). It's so time that people think about what goes in and how it impacts the body and your life. Fabulous soup.

Johanna GGG said...

I am always interested in baked beans recipes, as I am a huge fan of them - love the sound of this soup as a twist on a classic - why do some people think being healthy means giving up delicious food - I am sure this soup would prove them wrong

grace said...

i'll take beans any way i can get 'em! the idea of baked bean flavors in a soup is awesome and i would no doubt eat more than my fair share. :)

Lisa Turner said...

I'm always looking for new ideas for black beans and this soup sounds like a good one. Your pictures are very appetizing!!

test it comm said...

A baked bean soup sounds really good and topping it with cheese can only make it better!

Christine said...

This sounds delicious and so healthy! Always looking for new soup recipes!

Anonymous said...

The soup looks perfect for a rainy day! Thank you for providing a link to cancer-battling foods; there is a history of cancer in my extended family, and I've always wondered what's good for combatting cancer.

Anonymous said...

Love the idea of the mustard in it!

LisaRene said...

Baked bean soup is an interesting idea. Great tip about the sweet potato, I bet it would be tasty.

Jaime said...

yum! i would love to try this recipe :)

Anonymous said...

This really looks like a great soup! I am bookmarking it to try. :)

-sea

eatme_delicious said...

Mary: Thanks!

Chris: I love so many of the Moosewood recipes. I highly recommend them!

VeggieGirl: I agree!

Cakespy: Yea it definitely has that comfort food aspect to it. :)

Magnolia Wedding Planner: Thanks! Yea I really love mustard too.

Deborah: Thanks!

giz: Definitely. Thanks!

Johanna: Exactly there's tons of delicious healthy food!

Grace: I'm just starting to find an appreciation for beans myself. Hopefully one day I will love beans as you do. :)

Lisa: Thanks!

Kevin: Mm yes the cheese was good.

Christine: Me too. :)

ovenhaven: Glad you found the links useful, as I did (I found them through Mele Cotte).

Ann: Mmm me too. Love mustard.

LisaRene: Mm yes sweet potato in everything I say!

Jaime: Hope you like it if you do. :)

seamaiden: Hope you like it!

Mary said...

What a great idea to combine baked beans and soup! And I think you're right that it's important to pay attention to what we're putting into our bodies! I'll be making this!

susan said...

I made this tonight. I made it according to the recipe. Next time, i would add more beans, fresh peeled tomatoes and a tad less vinegar.