This 15 bean soup is a delicious cornucopia of beans, lentils, onions, celery, carrots, and smoked sausage in a broth seasoned with smoked paprika, chili powder, and thyme. It is full of vibrant color and hearty, wholesome vegetables, sure to warm your body and soul.
Warm up on a chilly day with this hearty, flavorful bean soup recipe. It’s the perfect comfort food for any occasion, packed with protein and vegetables. Find the bean mixture in the dried bean aisle at your favorite grocery store. Plan to soak your beans the night before while you sleep. This easy soup will quickly become a favorite.
We are a bean-loving family! If you love beans as much as we do, you must try my baked beans, crockpot cowboy beans, black-eyed pea soup, and calico beans.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- 15-bean mixture: found in the dried bean section. I used Hurst 15 bean.
- Smoked sausage: I use Polska Kielbasa, but you can use any smoked sausage
- Garlic: fresh is best
- Spices: paprika, chili powder, dried thyme, dried marjoram or dried oregano, and ground cayenne pepper
- Broth: low-sodium chicken or vegetable
How to make 15 Bean Soup
First, add the beans to a colander in the sink. Rinse cold water over the beans and sort through them, discarding any debris. Then, place the beans in a large pot of cold water. Allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours, then rinse and drain again.
Then add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and smoked sausage. Cook until the onions and celery are soft and the sausage browns. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, paprika, chili powder, thyme, marjoram, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. If needed, add another tablespoon of oil.
Add beans, chicken broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, carrots, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a low boil. Then reduce and simmer until the carrots and beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf before serving, as it can have sharp edges.
Preparation Tips
- This recipe requires advanced preparation. The beans need to soak in cold water overnight to soften.
- 15 bean soup mix is available in most grocery stores. It is in the same aisle as other dried beans. You only need half the bag, but save the remaining mix for a future pot of soup. Discard the flavor packet and use the herbs and spices in this recipe. Hurst is a dry bean mix that works well with this recipe.
- For aesthetic purposes, peel the carrots and let that beautiful orange color shine through.
- You can substitute oregano for the marjoram, but if you have never cooked with it, you should treat yourself. It is less pungent, milder, and sweeter, with a woodsy citrus aroma.
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving, as it has sharp edges.
Recipe Variations:
- Chicken: replace the Polska Kielbasa with bite-sized pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Smoked ham: replace the Polska Kielbasa with bite-sized pieces of smoked ham
- Vegetarian: omit the smoked sausage
- Bacon: cook 4-5 slices of chopped smoked bacon before adding the onions, celery, and smoked sausage. Use the bacon grease in place of the olive oil. Remove any excess bacon grease before proceeding with the recipe.
- To kick it up a notch, add a little Cajun seasoning, Frank’s hot sauce, Tobasco sauce, or cayenne pepper.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power so the beans do not explode or on the stovetop over low heat.
Freeze this soup in a heavy-duty freezer bag or sturdy freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup is naturally thick because some beans will inevitably break down. But if you desire a slightly thicker soup, remove several cups and puree it. You can use an immersion or stand blender to puree the soup. Don’t forget to remove the center cap on a stand blender so the heat can escape. Add the pureed soup back to the Dutch oven; now you have thickened soup.
You can substitute ham hocks, ham shanks, or any leftover ham bone for the smoked sausage, but they require a longer simmering period and no browning. Add the ham with the chicken broth, but hold the carrots until the ham is tender. After about 2 hours, add the carrots and remove the ham. Use a fork to remove any tender bits of ham from the bone, discarding the fat and connective tissue. Add the ham back to the soup and finish cooking until the carrots are tender.
Ladle the fully-cooled soup into quart or gallon-sized freezer zipper bags. Mark the bags with the date and the contents. Leave about an inch at the top of the bag for expansion, but remove as much air as possible.
Lay the soup bags down in a single layer on baking sheets and place them in the freezer. Once fully frozen, stack the bags in the freezer upright to save on space. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop on low or microwave at reduced power so as not to overcook any ingredients.
More Soup Recipes
15 Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces 15 bean soup mixture
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 1 lb. smoked sausage cut in slices
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetables broth
- 1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beans to a colander in the sink. Rinse cold water over the beans and sort through them discarding any debris. Place the beans in a large pot of cold water soak overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse again.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and smoked sausage. Cook until the onions and celery are soft and the sausage is browned.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, paprika, chili powder, thyme, marjoram, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute while stirring constantly. If needed add another tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the the beans, chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes, carrots, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the pot to a low boil.
- Reduce and simmer until the carrots and beans are tender. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf before serving as it has sharp edges.
Notes
- This recipe requires advanced preparation. The beans need to soak in cold water overnight to soften.
- 15 bean soup mix is available in most grocery stores. It is in the same aisle as other dried beans. You only need half the bag, but the remaining mix can be saved for a future pot of soup. Discard the flavor packet and use the herbs and spices in this recipe. Hurst is a dry bean mix that works well with this recipe.
- For aesthetic purposes, peel the carrots and let that beautiful orange color shine through.
- You can substitute oregano for the marjoram, but if you have never cooked with marjoram, you really should treat yourself. Marjoram is less pungent, milder, and sweeter, with a woodsy citrus aroma.
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving, as it has sharp edges.
Nutrition
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Cynthia Gill
Can this soup be canned? I am running out of freezer space and this would be nice to.send to my college granddaughter. Going to make this soon.
Beth Pierce
I am not sure. My mother-in-law did a lot of canning but I do not. Perhaps the readers will know.
Mary
Can I make this in the crockpot?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can but add sauté the onions, celery, and sausage and add it in the last couple of hours of cooking.
Jeb Smith
Very tasty recipe. I enjoyed this meal very much. Thanks for the great recipe.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Jeb! I am so glad that you liked it!
Daniela
This soup was amazing in flavor, unfortunately by the time the beans were done the celery and the carrots were mushy. Maybe next time I’ll try it in the Instant pot.
Catalina
Oh my goodness! This was amazingly delicious! My whole family really enjoyed it!
Ray
Has anyone tried to make this vegetarian? Do you think leaving the sausage out and using vegetable stock take away anything?
Beth Pierce
I personally think it will be delicious.
Aaliyah Barker
Tried this recipe last night and did exactly that!! It was so yummy.
Erin
Looks beyond delicious! I would love to make this!
Beth Pierce
Thanks! Enjoy!
Andrea
This was my first time making 15 bean soup. It worked out well, thank you!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Andrea! So glad that it worked out for you!
Amy
This soup is so delicious! I was able to use a lot of pantry staples up!
Claudia Lamascolo
What a great recipe I am sure we are going to love this especially being no meat for use and love lots of beans since its protein!we just leave the meat out!
Kathleen
This 15 bean soup is hearty and comforting. Loved that it’s a red soup too. My whole family really enjoyed it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kathleen! I am glad that they liked it!
Allyson Zea
This was sooo tasty! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome!
Sandra
This is such a good comfort food! So flavorful!
Sandra
This is such a really good comfort food! So flavorful!
Amanda
This looks so hearty and delightful!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Amanda!
Sam
So flavorful! We really enjoyed it! Thank you!