Sopa de Feijão — Portuguese Bean Soup

A thick, rustic soup of red kidney beans, cabbage and vegetables, flavoured with a little bacon.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
6 people
Difficulty
Very Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g smoked bacon lardons
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 potatoes, diced
  • 2 x 400g tins red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1.2 litres water or stock
  • 1/4 small savoy cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the lardons for 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 6 minutes.

  2. Add the carrots, potatoes, half the beans, the water and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

  3. Remove the bay leaf. Add the remaining beans and blend the soup until smooth with a stick blender, leaving some texture if you prefer.

  4. Add the cabbage and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste.

  5. Serve with the coriander and crusty bread.