Any other cooking oil will work here, such as vegetable or canola, but it may not taste quite the same. If you don’t like the taste of olive oil, use an oil that you enjoy instead. You can begin cutting up the vegetables in the next few steps while waiting for the oil to heat up, which should save on time.
There are plenty of different ways to cut onion and garlic. Choose an easy method that works for you.
The celery will help add a little sweetness and freshness to the soup, but it can also be left out if you don’t like the taste.
For a little more variety, use 1 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper, chopped in the same way. If you want even more of a kick to your soup, try adding some finely diced chili peppers as well. Finely slice 1 fresh red chili pepper and add it to the saucepan with the other ingredients.
Mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and peas could all make great additions to this soup. Add whatever you have on hand and see how it tastes!
While they will cook further as the soup cooks, sauteing the vegetables first will make the whole dish taste much better. If you’re particularly short on time, you can throw them into the saucepan with all the other ingredients to cook. The vegetables should be vibrant colors and just beginning to soften after around 10 to 15 minutes. These signs, along with the more fragrant aroma of the vegetables, are a good sign that they are ready.
For a little aromatic freshness, try mixing in 1 tablespoon (6 g) of thyme, rosemary, oregano, or cilantro. If you want a little extra spiciness, add in 1 teaspoon (2 g) of chili powder or cayenne pepper. For a slightly smoky flavor in your soup, mix in 1 tablespoon (6 g) of smoked paprika.
You can also use dried beans that have soaked first instead. Boil 1 cup (225 g) of dried beans in enough water to cover them for around 2 minutes, before leaving them to soak for around 1 hour. Use whichever type of bean you like the most, or whichever one you have the easiest access to.
For a slightly more complex flavor in your finished soup, try adding different types of stock. Use 1 cup (240 ml) each of chicken and vegetable stock, or any other combination you like. Soup is easy to customize and very difficult to mess up, so see what flavors you can come up with to complement the beans!
This is another great point to customize your soup to your own preferences. Leftover chicken, beef, lamb, ham, meatballs, and anything else can add some more flavor to the soup. Use roughly 1 cup (125 g to 175 g) of whatever diced meat you choose to use. You can add more or less depending on how meaty you want your soup to be. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, or you simply don’t want to add meat to your soup, feel free to skip this step.
If you want a thicker soup, remove the lid after 40 minutes and let it simmer for a further 10 minutes. This will let more liquid cook off and result in a thicker, heartier soup.
The more you blend your soup, the thicker and smoother it will be. For a thinner soup with more chunks, blend the soup for only a few seconds. Alternately, you can avoid blending it at all for a very thin and chunky soup. If you prefer your soup to be thick and very smooth, blend it until all of the beans have been processed and the soup reaches a creamier consistency. If you don’t have a hand or stick blender, you can pour your soup in the jug of a standard kitchen blender to process it slightly. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
If you want to keep this recipe vegan, you can skip this step entirely. You could also use the same amount of sour cream or yogurt for extra thickness and creaminess. However, this will also impart the flavor of your chosen yogurt or sour cream into the soup. If you don’t like the taste of sour cream, yogurt, milk, or cream, then leave them out of this dish.
When serving, fill a bowl with soup and place the poached eggs onto it last. When you pierce the yolk, it will run across the soup, both looking and tasting incredible. Break the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl first. Use the bowl to pour the eggs carefully into the soup. This will help keep the eggs together as you transfer them to the saucepan.
Once cooked, you can store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
