Romanian white bean soup

About this recipe

Bean soup is one of those recipes that lasts a whole week in a household where soup is a regular lunch. The recipe below makes around 6 litres and keeps beautifully in the fridge — the flavour settles and gets better on the second day.

The version I cook sweats the vegetables before they're boiled, for a more concentrated, sweeter flavour. My mother's classic version went the direct route: chopped vegetables tossed straight into the boiling beans, no sweating. Both work — it's mostly a question of time and how deep you want the flavour to be.

Ingredients

For the soup

• 2-3 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 large parsnip, diced
• 1 large parsley root, diced
• 4-6 fresh kapia peppers (or red bell peppers), chopped (larger or smaller cubes, to taste)
• 5 × 400 g tins of white beans (or 500 g dried white beans)
• Neutral oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pot
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp finely chopped pepper from a jar — optional
• 1 tbsp good smoked paprika
• 3 litres boiling water (added in stages, as needed)
• 3-4 heaped tbsp vegetable bouillon seasoning — adjust to taste
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 level tsp pepper
• Fresh tarragon or jarred tarragon (in vinegar)
• 1 tbsp brine from the tarragon jar (if using jarred)
• 2-3 tbsp white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar + 1 tbsp lemon juice)

To serve (alongside, not in the soup)

• Red onion cut in halves or quarters
• Fresh chilli (alternative)
• Homemade bread

Method

1. Prepare the beans (ahead of time if dried)

With dried beans: soak overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day, drain and rinse. Boil in two changes of water that you discard, then on the third boil simmer until the beans are soft — anywhere between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the beans.

With tinned beans: drain the 5 tins through a sieve and rinse well under cold water.

2. Chop the vegetables (10-15 min)

Finely chop the onions. Dice the carrots, parsnip, parsley root and kapia peppers — size is up to you, but try to keep them similar so they cook evenly.

3. Sweat the onions (5 min)

Pour neutral oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot, enough to coat the bottom in a generous layer — not just a thin film. Place over medium heat, add the onions and sweat for 5 minutes, stirring often. They shouldn't brown much, just turn translucent and sweet.

4. Add the rest of the root vegetables and peppers (10-12 min)

Add the carrots, parsnip, parsley root and kapia peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to catch slightly on the bottom of the pot and take on some colour. This step concentrates the flavour of the vegetables and is what sets this version apart from the direct method.

5. Add the tomato purée, chopped pepper and paprika (1 min)

Add the tablespoon of tomato purée, the tablespoon of chopped pepper from the jar (if using) and the tablespoon of smoked paprika. Stir vigorously for 1 minute — be careful not to burn the paprika, it turns bitter quickly. If the pot is too hot, lower the heat.

6. Pour in 1½ litres of boiling water (30 min simmer)

Pour 1½ litres of boiling water over the vegetables. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered (or with the lid slightly ajar) for 30 minutes, until the root vegetables are nearly tender.

7. Add the beans (20-25 min)

Add the beans — either pre-cooked (brought up to a simmer first) or from the tin. Add the 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable bouillon seasoning. Simmer for another 20-25 minutes, so all the flavours integrate.

As it simmers, judge the consistency. Add boiling water bit by bit, up to another 1½ litres, depending on how thick you want the soup. I add 250 ml at a time and taste.

8. Sour, season and finish (2 min)

Chop the fresh tarragon and add it to the pot. If using jarred tarragon, add the tablespoon of brine along with it.

Add the white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar + lemon juice) — start with 2 tablespoons, taste, add more if you want it sharper. You'll probably end up at 2-3 tablespoons minimum.

Add the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust. Turn off the heat.

9. Serve

Ladle the soup into bowls. On a separate small plate alongside, put halves or quarters of red onion that you bite into between spoonfuls. Or, instead of onion, fresh chilli. Serve with good homemade bread on the side.

Notes & Tips

Tinned vs dried beans

Tinned beans are noticeably faster — 5 × 400 g tins replace 500 g of dried beans plus 1-3 hours of boiling. The flavour difference is minimal if you drain and rinse them well (the brine in the tin tastes tinny). With more time on your hands, dried beans give the beans themselves a slightly creamier texture.

Smoked paprika — the choice matters

Use a good smoked paprika — Spanish (pimentón de la Vera) or authentic Hungarian. If the only "smoked" paprika you can find is an unbranded supermarket one, you probably won't taste the difference — and in that case it's better to leave it out than to add a weak one.

Why sweat the vegetables?

Sweating the onions and root vegetables before boiling concentrates their sugars through light browning, giving a deeper, sweeter flavour. The brief sauté of the tomato purée and paprika is also important — it cooks out the "raw" taste of the tomato purée.

The no-sweat version (my mother's way)

My mother sweated nothing. She put dried beans on to boil with water, and when they were nearly done she added all the chopped vegetables straight in, along with the tomato purée and paprika. Everything boiled together until the vegetables were soft. It's faster in terms of steps and has a "cleaner", more individual flavour from each vegetable — try this version if you want a more delicate soup.

Fresh vs jarred tarragon

Fresh tarragon has a livelier, slightly aniseed flavour. Jarred tarragon (in vinegar) is more concentrated and saltier — use less. The tablespoon of brine from the jar adds extra acidity and works well alongside the vinegar.

What does "1½ + 1½ litres" mean?

I add the water in two stages to control the consistency. The first part (1½ L) is enough to cover the vegetables and let them simmer properly. The second part (up to another 1½ L) goes in gradually at the end, after the beans are in, so I can dial in exactly how thick I want it. The soup thickens further in the fridge overnight, so I leave it slightly thinner on day one.

Storage

Keeps in the fridge in a sealed container for 4-5 days no problem. The flavour settles and gets better on day two and three. In the freezer it keeps 2-3 months — pour into individual portions before freezing.

Pairs perfectly with homemade bread

A thick slice of homemade white bread, lightly warmed, is the perfect partner for a sharp, sour bean soup.

→ Homemade bread recipe