Smoky Balkan White Bean Soup is inspired by the bean and smoked meat soups popular in the Balkans with a nod to Hungarian goulash soup too. Here we use white beans, bacon, smoked pork chops and smoked sausage combined with a heady mix of seasonings to yield a hearty, smoky, meaty soup which is a meal all by itself. Enjoy our Smoky Balkan White Bean Soup for lunch or with a Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad and good bread for dinner.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 3 hours plus overnight soaking time for the beans. Serves 4 to 6.
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Ingredients:
- 1 lb dried White Beans (cannellini or navy beans)
- 2 Tbs. Cooking Oil (Olive/Canola Oil blend is recommended)
- 4 oz. smoky Bacon
- 1 cup chopped Onion
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Red Bell Peppers
- 3 Bay leaves, preferably fresh
- 10 whole Cloves
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 Tbs Sweet Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbs Hot Smoked Paprika
- 1 lb Smoked Pork Chops, deboned and diced
- 1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste
- 6 cups Water
- 1 lb Smoked Sausage, sliced into thin rounds
- Coarse Sea Salt to taste
Preparation:
- Rinse the white beans, place in a deep pot and add cold water to cover by 4 inches and soak overnight.
- Pour the soaking water out from the beans, add fresh cold water to cover the beans, set aside.
- Cut the bacon crosswise into thin ¼ inch wide slices.
- Pour the cooking oil into a 12-quart stockpot over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced bacon to the stockpot and fry the bacon until crisp.
- Once the bacon is crisp, add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper to the stockpot and sauté uncovered over a medium heat until the vegetables soften.
- Add the bay leaves and seasonings (cloves through paprika) to the stockpot, stir to mix and sauté uncovered for another minute.
- Add the diced meat from smoked pork chops and the tomato paste to the stockpot, stir, cover and continue to cook for two minutes.
- Drain the beans and add to the stockpot along with the water and sliced smoked sausage. Stir to mix raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
- Taste for salt and adjust before serving.
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