Beef and Bean Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What thickens bean soup? ›

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup.

What is the best cut of beef for soup? The best cut of meat for beef soup is either a chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck – with chuck roast being my personal favorite. These are the most tender cuts.

Beans are an excellent source of nutrients and offer numerous health benefits. They're a great of plant-based protein, fiber, iron and antioxidants. Eating beans on a regular basis can help in maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the risk of chronic diseases and supporting your gut health.

Try adding some acidity. A splash of lemon juice or a tablespoon of white wine vinegar can brighten the flavors of the soup.

Can you overcook beans in soup? Absolutely. If you cook the soup for too long, the beans will become mushy and potentially even lose their shape. If this happens, this is the biggest indicator that the beans have been overcooked.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

You'll add layers of flavor to the soup by sauteing aromatics (like onion, carrots, celery, and garlic) in olive oil at the start. The addition of ham not only makes it more hearty and satisfying, but also contributes great smoky, salty flavor to the dish.

Beef tastes great when seasoned with oregano, rosemary, sage, garlic or a combination of these seasonings. Poultry gets an added burst of flavor with spices like paprika, lemongrass and saffron. Fish can be made more flavorful with dry mustard powder, thyme and turmeric.

It's important to get a good sear on the meat which flavor to the soup and also prevents the beef from steam cooking and becoming tough and chewy. Scrape the pot: After browning the meat and adding in the liquid ingredients, scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze and release the delicious brown bits into the soup.

Do you have to cook beef before adding to soup? ›

If you don't have time or don't want to add extra steps, you can add ground beef directly to the soup. Just make sure the beef is cooked. Browning ground beef before adding it to soup is not strictly necessary, but it offers several advantages that can significantly enhance the flavor and texture of your soup.

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

These are two different things. Soup beans are simmered for hours and are served as an entrée with corn bread, greens, and often fried potatoes, and they are thick with beans and ham stock derived from hocks or other bones. Soup beans are not soup.

The bottom line is that beans should be a staple in your diet, especially if you have diabetes. A study published in the journal JAMA found that eating more beans, lentils, and other legumes helped people with type 2 diabetes gain better glycemic control and lower their risk of heart disease.

You can also make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and about a cup or so of cool water, or some of the bean liquid. If you use the bean liquid, remove it first and set it aside to cool slightly.

One way is to boil the beans until they are soft, then remove them from heat and cover with at least an inch of cold water. The beans will soak up some of the remaining hot water while they cool and release starches which thicken them. Once cooled, you can drain off any excess liquid or eat as-is if desired.

Step 2: Thicken the soup.

Sprinkle in flour then cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. The addition of flour to the Ham and Bean Soup will give it a nice velvety texture.