A few months ago, I impulse purchased a package of Sixteen Bean Soup Mix from Aldi. I told myself that it was for serious, adult reasons—bean are a high-fiber form of protein, cooking dry beans is more environmentally and budget-friendly than buying canned, etc.—but actually it was because I thought the beans looked nice. I am a sucker for multi-colored anything and the coordinating shades of tan, red, white, green, and yellow did my heart good.
When it came time to cook them up, I mostly followed the suggested recipe on the package, omitting the ham but using the seasoning packet, chopped onion, and canned tomatoes with chiles as called for. The resulting soup was fairly bland (that's on me for leaving out one of the key ingredients) but I loved the varying textures of the beans. There was potential, and there was a great deal of soup weather ahead.
Through some experimentation, I developed a much better recipe. I've swapped in tomato paste and canned green chiles for more umami and more heat. I've added the step of sauteing the onion and garlic in olive oil to better develop flavors. I've done away with the spice packet entirely for a zestier (and vegan) spice blend of oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. One thing that hasn't changed? The multi-colored beans (especially after you soak them) still look pretty.
Yield: 6 (2-cup) servings
Ingredients:
- (20-ounce) package Sixteen Bean Soup Mix
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste (half of a 6-ounce can)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Discard soup spice packet. Rinse and drain beans. Combine with 8 cups of water in a Dutch oven, cover, and soak in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Rinse and drain soaked beans.
Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tilt to coat evenly. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is golden-brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the soaked beans and 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Add chiles, tomato paste, salt, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered.
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