15 Bean Soup

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 and flavorful 15 bean soup recipe. It’s the perfect comfort food for any occasion, packed with protein and vegetables. Find the 15 bean mixture at your favorite grocery store in the dried bean aisle. Plan ahead and 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.

What Beans Are in 15 Bean Soup

In this particular soup using Hurst’s 15-bean mixture, there are northern beans, pinto beans, large lima beans, yelloweye beans, garbanzo beans, baby lima beans, green split peas, kidney beans, cranberry beans, small white beans, pink beans, small red beans, yellow split peas, lentils, navy beans, white kidney beans, and black beans. Of course, if you pick a different brand, the beans will vary, but the soup will still be delicious.

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 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.

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.
• Kick it up a notch: add a little Cajun seasoning, Frank’s hot sauce, Tobasco sauce, or a little more 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

More soup recipes

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15 Bean Soup Recipe

This hearty 15 bean soup is loaded with beans, onion, celery, carrots, and tomatoes in a perfectly seasoned broth.  Add a batch of corn muffins and life just got really tasty. 

4.97 from 26 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

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 advance preparation. The beans need to soak in cold water overnight to soften.
• 15 bean soup mix is available in most grocery stores and it can be found with the other dried beans. You only need half the bag but the remaining mix can be saved for a future pot of soup. Discard the seasoning packet and use the herbs and spices in the 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, more mild, and sweeter with a woodsy citrus aroma.
• Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving as they have sharp edges.
• Ham hocks, ham shanks, and ham bones can be substituted 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 fat and connective tissue.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• 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 stove top or in the microwave. 

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 575mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5524IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

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