Grandpa’s Bean Soup

My Grandpa loved bean soup, and we ate it often when I was growing up! This was the first family recipe that I veganized when I went vegan almost two years ago, and we always keep some in the freezer for quick meals. I use homemade vegan broth, add more veggies, and use liquid smoke and tamari to get the bacon flavor that my Grandpa liked in his soup. Otherwise, this is his recipe as I remember it from my childhood. Here are the ingredients you will need to make it:

The six cans of beans will give you a typical soup consistency. If you want a stew thickness as shown in the photos, you will need to add three more cans of beans later in the recipe. Also, while I definitely prefer this soup made with my homemade chick’n broth (or “turkey” broth), you can use either Magickal Broth Powder or store-bought vegetable broth if you don’t have any homemade broth on hand.

Melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. (I use Earth Balance.)

Add the carrot, onion, and celery. Toss to coat in the vegan butter:

Add the Magickal Seasoning Blend and mix again. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally:

Mash the roasted garlic, then add it to the pot. Mix it into the vegetables.

Add the sugar, liquid smoke, tamari soy sauce, and Frank’s Hot Sauce. Mix together and cook for three more minutes:

Add the vegan broth and the six cans of beans. Add the liquid from the beans as well.

Mix together:

Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir every 10 minutes to keep the beans from burning.

When the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and offset the lid:

Simmer with the lid offset for two hours. Stir every twenty minutes. If you want a thick stew consistency, add three more cans of great northern beans (drained this time) after ninety minutes.

Serve your soup like my Grandpa did with a pat of vegan butter, some chopped green onion, and a lot of cracked pepper:

Enjoy!

 

Grandpa's Bean Soup

This delicious bean soup is thick, rich, and full of veggies. It tastes just like the one my Grandpa used to make, but this version is completely vegan!

Course Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings 14 bowls
Calories 250 kcal
Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

  • 42 g (3 TBS) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 360 g (3 c) Chopped Onion
  • 270 g (3 c) Grated Carrot
  • 180 g (1 1/2 c) Chopped Celery
  • 24 g (2 TBS) Magickal Seasoning Blend
  • 35 g (2 TBS) Roasted Garlic
  • 6 g (1 1/2 tsp) Vegan Sugar
  • 10 g (2 tsp) Liquid Smoke
  • 15 g (1 TBS) Frank's Hot Sauce
  • 30 g (2 TBS) Reduced Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce
  • 1,440 g (6 c) Vegan Broth
  • 3 16 oz cans Navy Beans (I use Bush's)
  • 3 to 6 16 oz cans Great Northern Beans (I use Bush's)
  • Additional Vegan Butter
  • Chopped Green Onions
  • Cracked Pepper

Instructions

  1. Melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the carrot, onion, and celery. Toss to coat in the vegan butter. Add the Magickal Seasoning Blend and mix again. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Mash the roasted garlic, then add it to the pot. Mix it into the vegetables. Add the sugar, liquid smoke, tamari soy sauce, and Frank’s Hot Sauce. Mix together and cook for three more minutes.

  3. Add the vegan broth and three whole cans of each navy and great northern beans. (Add the liquid from the beans as well.) Mix together, then cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir every 10 minutes to keep the beans from burning.

  4. When the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and offset the lid. Simmer with the lid offset for two hours. Stir every twenty minutes. If you want a thick stew consistency, add three more cans of great northern beans (drained this time) after ninety minutes.

  5. Serve your soup like my Grandpa did with a pat of vegan butter, some chopped green onion, and a lot of cracked pepper. Enjoy!

  6. This soup will keep in the fridge for several days. It also freezes very well, and will keep for several months in the freezer.

Recipe Notes

  • Six cans of beans will give you a typical soup consistency. If you want a stew thickness as shown in the photos, you will need to add three more cans of beans later in the recipe.

2 thoughts on “Grandpa’s Bean Soup”

  1. This looks really, really good to me. This seems like an easy recipe I could make, sooner rather than later. Is there a way to adapt this recipe for a split pea soup? Do you happen to have a recipe for black-eyed peas, as well?

    1. Thank you! This is a really easy recipe and one of my family’s favorites! I would not adapt this recipe for split pea soup, though, because there are too many differences between using canned beans and dry ones. I haven’t made split pea soup since going vegan, but I will try it soon! Unfortunately, I have never actually made black-eyed peas (even before going vegan), so can’t help there. I do have a lovely lentil soup recipe that I will be sharing in a few days!

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