Easy to make Brown Bean Soup

The BEST Brown Bean Soup Recipe is easy to make and simmers on the stove serving up slow-cooked hearty flavors. Filled with vegetables and seasoned with a ham hock, it makes a big, delicious pot of soup for just pennies per serving!

Next time try this recipe for Navy Bean Soup.

Why you'll love this recipe

How has your summer been? Can you believe it's the end August already?!! That's just crazy. The summer zips by more quickly every year!

This is how the last three weeks have gone. First, our anniversary and the next day my folks came to visit. We've spent one day a week swimming up at Bass Lake just to get out and unplug.

Life's too short to have your nose to the grind-stone all the time, right?!!

And even though it's been super hot, I've been making soup. Bean Soups are one of my favorites!

I thought this would be a great time to share my recipe for the BEST Bean Soup Recipe!

This recipe for bean soup has a ton of vegetables - onions, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes and celery mixed with brown beans that are simmered on the stove with a ham hock to give it a great flavor.

I love to have a pot of beans simmering on the stove. It makes the whole house smell good! (Though you could also make this in the slow cooker.)

Ingredients

• brown or dry pinto beans - you can also use kidney beans, cannellini beans, black beans or great northern beans.
• yellow onion, white or red onions
• cabbage 
• carrots
• celery
• red or yellow bell peppers
• canned mushrooms
• fire roasted tomatoes
• ham hock
• beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth
• lemon & parsley optional

Instructions

1. Pick thru the beans and rinse them well.
2. Soak the beans in cold water in a large pot. Soak the beans overnight, or using the quick soak directions.
3. Rinse the beans again discarding the water used for soaking.
4. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
5. Chop the vegetables and add them to the pot, season with the red pepper flakes.
6. Add the bay leaf & ham hock.
7. Sauté until tender, 5-7 minutes..
8. Next add the canned mushrooms, fire roasted tomatoes and beans to the pot.
9. Add the beef broth and enough water to cover the beans about an inch.
10. Simmer covered for 1 to 1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender. Keep an eye on it and add additional water as needed.
11. When the beans are tender, taste and adjust seasoning.
12. Remove the ham hock and bay leaf.

FAQ's

Tips

This savory soup is rich and meaty, but sweet too. The carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers give it a slightly sweet flavor and you'll definitely be going back for a second bowl.

• If you prefer a creamy soup, use a stick blender to blend the beans.
• As soon as this soup is done, ladle a quart out, seal and put in the freezer. For those days you don't want to cook? Dinner will be done!
• Never salt beans when they are cooking because it makes them tough. Wait until they are tender to season with salt.
• I've tried making this soup with canned beans, but it's just not the same. You can't replicate the superior taste of a pot of beans slowly simmered on the stove!

If you want all of my tips and tricks to make the BEST homemade soup, be sure and click here!!!

Storage

Refrigerate - Allow the hearty pinto bean soup to cool to room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container up to three days in the refrigerator.

Freeze - Ladle leftovers into quart containers and freeze up to two months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

More of our favorite soup recipes

• Be sure to try the Easy Potato Soup, only 30 minutes from start to finish!
• Chicken and Dumplings Soup - this recipe takes minutes instead of hours. Perfect for cozy, cold days!
• Authentic Pozole Recipe - slow cooked pork and hominy. This is probably my favorite soup recipe on the blog.
• If you only have a few minutes to throw dinner together, Busy Day Soup is the meal for YOU! It's an easy soup recipe.
• Mediterranean Lentil Soup is a delicious vegetarian meal.

Serving suggestions

Enjoy this meal with skillet cornbread, it's perfect for sopping up the sauce! These easy dinner rolls would be yummy as well!

A lovely garden salad would be super tasty too!

Related recipes

• Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe - it's the BEST comfort food! It's easy to make as well and leftovers are even better on day two!
• If you don't have all day to make soup, then be sure to try this recipe for Bean with Bacon Soup - all the flavor in less than half the time!
• 15 Bean Soup is another lovely meal, filled with ham, vegetables and rich savory flavor!

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products! 🛍️

If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating! 

5 from 5 votes

Pinto Bean Soup Recipe

Creamy, earthy and nutty this easy to make, flavorful soup is delicious and hearty.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Soups and Stews

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Deb Clark

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb dried brown or pinto beans
• ▢ 1 yellow onion chopped
• ▢ ¼ head cabbage chopped
• ▢ 2 carrots diced
• ▢ 2 celery stalks diced
• ▢ 1 cup red or yellow bell peppers - about two small diced
• ▢ 1 can mushrooms
• ▢ 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• ▢ 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 ham hock
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ Additional water as needed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juiced & of chopped parsley

Instructions

• Pick thru the beans, checking for small rocks, blemished beans, etc and remove. Prepare the beans by following product directions by either soaking the beans overnight, or using the quick soak directions. Rinse well, set aside.
• In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. After chopping add the, onions cabbage, carrots, celery & bell peppers to the pot, season with the red pepper flakes. Add the bay leaf & ham hock. Sauté until tender, 5-7 minutes.
• Next add the canned mushrooms (juice & all), fire roasted tomatoes and beans to the pot. Add the beef broth and top with enough water to cover the beans about an inch. Simmer covered for 1 to 1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender. Keep an eye on it and add additional water as needed.
• When the beans are tender, taste for seasoning & add the salt. Remove the hambone and pick the meat off it and add it back to the soup (if desired or just discard - it's done it's job adding all that flavor!).
• Remove the bay leaf and discard. When you turn off the heat add in the lemon juice & parsley, mix well and serve!

Notes

*This meal can be made in the slow cooker - takes about 10 hours on low. Just make sure you soak the beans and sauté the vegetables first before adding them to the slow cooker.

If you'd prefer a creamier soup, use an immersion blender and blend until it's the consistency you're looking for.

Love this recipe? Join the free membership group!

Subscribe

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1179mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2875IU | Vitamin C: 48.9mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2.3mg