Dinner/ Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes/ Soup Recipes

Kidney Bean Soup

23 January 2022 | Last Updated: 8 February 2022 By Aleksandra

Kidney bean soup is a delicious and budget-friendly soup made with kidney beans and tomatoes. It’s spiced with aromatic spices, finished with refreshing lime juice, and topped with crispy tortilla chips, sharp cheddar, tangy sour cream, and crispy bacon.

Kidney bean soup topped with avocado, bacon, tortilla strips, and cheese in a white bowl.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this delicious soup:

Labeled ingredients for kidney bean soup.
  • bacon – fat rendered from bacon is used to saute the vegetables while the crispy bacon bits are used as a topping, if you don’t want to use bacon, add some smoked paprika to the soup
  • veggies: onion, bell pepper
  • spices and aromatics: fresh garlic, aromatic spices (chili powder which is a spice mix not pure ground chili peppers, oregano, cumin, paprika, coriander, and cinnamon), tomato paste
  • canned kidney beans – we’re using the beans and their liquid – it adds additional bean flavor and thickens the soup
  • canned crushed tomatoes – if you’re gonna use diced or whole canned tomatoes, puree them with a mixer until they resemble crushed tomatoes, the consistency of crushed tomatoes is better for this soup
  • chicken broth
  • lime juice – is absolutely necessary – it adds a citrusy flavor and a tang to the soup

There are a couple of ingredients and spices needed to make this soup – they are really necessary. Kidney beans alone taste rather bland so you need lots of aromatic spices to make them stand out.

Toppings – they are optional but they really take this soup to another level:

  • crunchy bacon
  • creamy avocado
  • sharp shredded cheddar
  • crispy tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
  • fragrant cilantro
  • tangy sour cream

This soup can also be made vegetarian by omitting bacon and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Step by step instructions

Chopped ingredients for kidney bean soup. Crispy bacon in a pot.

STEP 1: Dice the onion, finely chop garlic, cut bell pepper into small cubes, and bacon into 3/4-1 inch cubes (2-2.5 cm).

STEP 2: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes until it’s browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon/spider strainer to a plate, leaving the oil/fat in the pot (you should have about 2-3 tablespoons of fat).

You could also cook bacon in the oven and add cooked and crispy bacon directly to the mushroom sauce. You can still use bacon grease from cooking it in the oven to sautee the onions and bell pepper.

Sauteed vegetables and spices in a pot.

STEP 3: Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for about 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft.

STEP 4: Add the garlic and all the spices, cook for 30 seconds.

Sauteed vegetables and spices in a pot. Broth is being added to a pot with tomatoes and beans.

STEP 5: Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.

STEP 6: Add kidney beans with their liquid, crushed tomatoes, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Soup is being seasoned with lime juice. Soup is being pureed with a hand mixer.

STEP 7: Take the pot off the heat. Puree half of the soup with a blender, add it back to the pot (you can also blend the whole soup but I prefer it part creamy part chunky). Season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

STEP 8: Assemble: ladle soup into bowls, stir in some chopped cilantro, top with reserved bacon, diced avocado, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips/crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Kidney bean soup topped with avocado, bacon, tortilla strips, and cheese in a white bowl.

Storage

This soup reheats very well. Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months – it freezes very well.

More soup recipes you may like

Kidney bean soup topped with avocado, bacon, tortilla strips, and cheese in a white bowl.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Kidney Bean Soup

Kidney bean soup is a delicious and budget-friendly soup made with kidney beans and tomatoes. It’s spiced with aromatic spices, finished with refreshing lime juice, and topped with crispy tortilla chips, sharp cheddar, tangy sour cream, and crunchy bacon.
Pin This Recipe!
Kidney bean soup in a white bowl.
Print Recipe

RATE THE RECIPE

(click on the stars)

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 315kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the soup:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 15 slices smoked bacon 5 ounces/150g
  • 1 large onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander dried
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups chicken broths 480ml
  • 3 cans kidney beans (with liquid) 14-oz/400ml
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 14-oz/400ml
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • chopped cilantro leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste

garnish:

  • fried/baked tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
  • avocado
  • sour cream
  • shredded sharp cheddar

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Instructions

  • Dice the onion, finely chop garlic, cut bell pepper into small cubes, and bacon into 3/4-1 inch cubes (2-2.5 cm).
  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes until it’s browned and crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon/spider strainer to a plate, leaving the oil/fat in the pot (you should have about 2-3 tablespoons of fat).
  • Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for about 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft.
  • Add the garlic and all the spices, cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
  • Add kidney beans with their liquid, crushed tomatoes, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
  • Take the pot off the heat. Puree half of the soup with a blender, add it back to the pot (you can also blend the whole soup but I prefer it part creamy part chunky). Season the soup with lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
  • Assemble: ladle soup into bowls, stir in some chopped cilantro, top with reserved bacon, diced avocado, shredded cheddar, tortilla strips/crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Chili powder is a spice mix, not 100% ground chili peppers.
  • If you’re gonna use diced or whole canned tomatoes, puree them with a mixer until they resemble crushed tomatoes, the consistency of crushed tomatoes is better for this soup.
  • You can add some smoked paprika to the soup if you want it more smokey.
  • Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the soup), doesn’t include toppings. This is only an estimate!
Course Soup
Cuisine tex-mex
Tried this Recipe? Rate the Recipe and tell us what you think in the Comments!

You Might Also Like

No Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here