Bean and Mushroom Soup
This soup is every bit as filling as a meat-based one: the beans cook down until creamy, and a small handful of dried porcini gives the broth the kind of depth you would normally get from bones. We brown the fresh mushrooms well — half the flavour lives in that golden crust. A perfect Lenten lunch, or simply a good one on a cold day.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 h 25 min
- Rest
- 8 h
- Total
- 9 h 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 240 kcal
Ingredients
-
What to use instead
No dried porcini? Increase the button mushrooms to 500 g and brown them especially well. The soup will be lighter but still full-flavoured.
Makes: 6 servings, about 2.5 l
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Soak the beans
Pick over and rinse the beans, cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave for 8 hours or overnight. Soaked beans cook twice as fast and are easier to digest.
-
Step 2: Cook the beans
Drain and rinse the beans, cover with 2 litres of fresh water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam. Simmer gently with the lid ajar for 50–60 minutes until almost tender — a bean squashes easily but keeps its shape. Do not salt yet.
-
Step 3: Soak the porcini
While the beans cook, pour the 300 ml of boiling water over the porcini and leave for 30 minutes. Lift them out and chop finely, then strain the soaking liquid through a paper towel or fine sieve to catch any grit.
-
Step 4: Brown the vegetables and mushrooms
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the finely chopped onion for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the grated carrot and cook for 4–5 minutes more. Add the sliced button mushrooms and chopped porcini and fry over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes until their liquid has evaporated and they are golden. Stir in the chopped garlic for the last minute.
-
Step 5: Add the potatoes
Add the potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm cubes, to the beans along with the bay leaves and 2 teaspoons of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
-
Step 6: Bring it together
Tip the mushroom mixture into the pot, pour in the strained porcini liquid and simmer for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are completely soft. For a thicker soup, crush a few spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
-
Step 7: Finish with dill
Remove the bay leaves, stir in the finely chopped dill and let the soup stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Salt only once the beans are nearly tender: salting too early toughens the skins and slows cooking.
-
Swap
No dried porcini? Increase the button mushrooms to 500 g and brown them especially well. The soup will be lighter but still full-flavoured.
-
Variation
For a quick version, use two 400 g cans of white beans: rinse and add them with the potatoes. Cooking time drops to about 25 minutes.
-
Storage
The soup keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and thickens as it stands; loosen it with a little boiling water when reheating.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 240 kcal | 1,440 kcal |
| Protein | 11 g | 66 g |
| Fat | 7 g | 42 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 198 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
