Last Updated on 26th January 2021 by
This dish may be native to Cuba, but you can make it in your own kitchen and have it taste like the authentic soup. You don’t have to buy Spanish bean soup mix to make it either. It’s relatively easy once you know the recipe.
Here is a soup that is practically bursting with comforting beans, spicy sausage, and a beautifully thick texture. It’s the kind of soup we would be inclined to make on a cold and rainy day to chase the gray away and spice up the afternoon. It has warmth to it that comes from more than just the hot soup. The spicy flavours don’t need to be overpowering for this to be an enjoyable soup made in the traditional way, so even if you aren’t a big fan of spicy food, you will probably still like this recipe for Spanish bean soup.
What’s interesting about this kind of soup is how it has a different legacy and a different method of preparation in various places around the world. If you have ever had Spanish garbanzo bean soup, you were likely eating the Tampa Bay version, which tends to be less spicy than the original dish that came from Cuba. It has been adapted over time for American tastes and made more palatable for American sensibilities.
So, if you are looking for spicier Spanish bean soup recipes, they are out there, or you can always add some habanero peppers or hot sauce to yours to spice it up in a simple way. A lot of people will start with a basic recipe and then substitute out or add in what they like.
Spanish Bean Soup Recipe
Spanish Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 red potatoes sliced
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 2 cans chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 chorizo sausage sliced
- ¼ cup recaito
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Goya sazon with saffron packet
- Salt
Instructions
- Start by heating up the olive oil in a large pot. Use medium heat and add in a couple cubes of the recaito, which comes out to about ¼ cup. Cook for about five minutes, until the cubes begin to break apart.
- Next, add your garlic, onions, and sausage. Cook all of this until the onions start to become translucent. Then, add in chickpeas, potatoes, chicken stock, and sazon. Stir that together and increase the heat until your soup starts to boil.
- Then, turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for around 20 minutes. You want the potatoes to get tender, so check them by prodding them with a fork and see if it slides into the potatoes easily.
- Serve the soup hot, and it’s traditionally served with buttered bread. You can add a garnish if you like, such as chives, parsley, bacon bits, or even shredded cheese and sour cream. However, Spanish bean soup is not typically served with these kinds of garnishes. Like we said, though, you can make it the way you want to suit your tastes. We’ve just provided a traditional Columbia restaurant Spanish bean soup, which is similar to what you would find in many Cuban and Columbian homes.
Columbia Spanish Bean Soup Variations
If you want to change things up a bit and make this soup more to your liking, there are some simple ways to do that. We like to experiment and alter recipes all the time to create something new- something that feels a little more personal and creative- and this is a great recipe to do that with.
You could make a Spanish white bean soup or a Spanish black bean soup just by changing up the beans. Or you can add in other kinds of beans and make a three bean soup out of it. You will have to keep in the potatoes and chorizo sausage to ensure you are still making a Spanish bean soup, though.
What if you want to make a vegetarian bean soup? It’s will be difficult to do that and still keep the Spanish influences, because Spanish bean soup with chorizo is simply how this dish is made. We understand that vegetarians would want to try a dish like this, so long as they can make it meatless and find a good substitute for it. If you are looking to keep the soup as true to the original, traditional recipe as possible but forgo the meat, we suggest replacing chorizo with mushrooms. Shitake or portobello mushrooms make for good substitutes, and their chewy, meaty texture works well in this soup, pairing nicely with the potatoes and beans.
You lose some of the flavour, though, and you make need to add a little heat to the soup to make it match up with the spiciness offered by the sausage. Some chilli powder, a few dashes of hot sauce or some pepper sauce should be enough to do the trick, giving you a delicious vegetarian soup that’s still somewhat true to the Spanish bean soup Columbian and Cuba know and love.
Storing Your Soup
Spanish bean soup will keep the fridge in a covered container for about a week. Keep it sealed and airtight if you want your soup to taste fresh when it’s time to reheat it.
For reheating, you can serve out a portion into a pot on the stove and warm on low heat for a couple of minutes.
To store long term, put the soup into a freezer safe container and store upright. It will keep in the freezer for at least three months.
Serving Your Soup
What goes well with Spanish bean soup? We recommend serving it with some soup crackers or bread, but if you want a bigger meal, why not go all out and pair it with a Cuban sandwich? That ham and cheese staple of Miami and Cuba is fairly easy to make and a great companion to a warm soup.
This soup also goes well with corn chips, tacos, burritos, chimichangas, and other Mexican dishes. If you are planning a Mexican cooking night, why not try making some of this relatively simple and very delicious soup?
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!