Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Vegan Tuesdays -- Navy Bean Soup

It is still gloomy and unseasonably cold here, so soup was on the menu again. When I was a kid I loved Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup. I didn't like the bacon part--I picked it out of the soup, but I loved the beans and the smokiness. For the longest time I was craving Campbell's bean soup, but I never attempted to make it since I didn't think a veggie version would even come close to the original. I was wrong! By using just a tiny bit of liquid smoke it's easy to duplicate the flavor of the bacon. This is such a yummy soup and it's easy to make. I'm so glad that I tried to recreate a childhood favorite.

1 lb dried navy beans soaked overnight and drained
4 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced finely
8 cups of veggie broth, you can add more if the soup gets too thick
2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
a few drops fo liquid smoke

Put everything into a big soup pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the beans are really well cooked--almost mushy. It will probably take at least a couple hours. You can mash up some of the beans for a smoother soup, or leave all the beans whole, but either way, you're looking for a really thick soup.

Serve the soup with some good hearty bread and maybe a big salad.

Wendy at Pink Stripes is back to blogging (yeah!), so please visit her blog to see what she made for Vegan Tuesday. http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com/

10 comments:

  1. A very interesting and tasty sounding bean recipe! Cant get enough of those!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Its been raining here today. Your warming bowl of soup would be so welcomed right now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. YUM! It looks and sounds delicious. I'm glad to be back to blogging. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds perfect for a sick day, or a rainy day, or just about any day! Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks like a nice hearty soup. I'm going to have to direct my mom towards your site; she's a vegetarian and I think she'd really like your recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you margot and bittersweet!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I failed on my very first vegan Tuesday, Michele...I was doing fine until I had a sudden yearning for a greek cheese pie. Your soup looks just the thing for a chilly day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That sounds like a comfort soup. A beautiful, smoky flavour --- YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Making this tonight! Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete