Hungarian Bean Soup with potatoes, carrots, paprika, and smoked tofu.
Like most Hungarian recipes, this Hungarian Bean Soup is a super budget-friendly, filling and delicious recipe. It requires only one pot and a few basic ingredients to make, but the result is seriously good. Serve this Bean Soup with a slice of fresh bread for a lovely, satisfying, vegan meal.
Hungarian Bean Soup was a staple food in our house when I was young. Traditionally it’s made with some smoked meat, but luckily my mom always made a vegetarian/vegan version of it. So that’s what I’m sharing with you today. It’s a very simple recipe, all you do is add everything to large pot and let it all cook together into a delicious goodness.
My grandparents sent me these beautiful, home-grown beans a while ago, that are usually used for this soup in Hungarian cuisine, so that’s what I used for this recipe. I have to admit, I have no idea how you call them in English. They are very large (maybe 2-3x larger than a kidney bean), and they take suuuuuuuper long to cook, even after a day of soaking. If you can’t find this type of bean near you, or just want a quicker version, use a smaller type of bean of your choice.
You can also change up the veggies and spicing however you like, this is just a very basic version. I like to serve mine with some fresh parsley on top, plus a slice of bread on the side.
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
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Hungarian Bean Soup
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
1.5 cups of diced carrots
1 small chili, minced
4–5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp sweet paprika powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1.5 cups of dry beans, soaked
2 cups of diced potatoes
4–5 cups of vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup of diced smoked tofu
1/3 cup of unsweetened plant milk
2 tbsp flour of your choice (I used brown rice flour)
salt, pepper
to serve:
vegan sour cream or yogurt
chopped, fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat up oil in a large pot, then add onion and carrots, and sauté for 5-10 minutes, until onion turns translucent. Alternatively sauté veggies on water/vegetable broth, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- Add paprika powder, chili, and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally, until paprika is fragrant. Be careful, paprika burns very quickly.
- Add beans, potatoes, and bay leaves to the pot, and cover with broth or water. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook until beans are completely soft. Cooking time heavily depends on the type of bean you use, with these ones it took 2.5 hours, with a smaller type it can take less than an hour.
- Once beans are cooked, add smoked tofu, and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Discard bay leaves, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Whisk together milk and flour in a small bowl. Pour mix into the soup, and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until soup slightly thickens.
- Serve warm with vegan sour cream and parsley on top. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
Pretty bean mix! I wish they loved me as much as I love them LOL!
Hahahaha, I can feel your struggle. Most days I’m good with beans, but sometimes they just hate me too 😀
Here is a solution for you. Cook the beans for 5-10 minutes, drain the beans and start cooking in new water. It is going to make a big differencs.
Thanks for the tip, definitely trying it next time!! 🙂
hi
the secret of cooking beans
soak them overnight in cold water
rinse rinse
cook them well- no salt
have fun
kim
Thanks Kim,
I’ll try this 😉
This sounds delicious! I love bean soup, but I don’t make it too often because I already have beans or chickpeas each day anyway.
Same with me. I usually eat legumes in salads, bread spreads or on top of pasta, but I have to remind myself to eat them more often in soups too, coz it’s so good 😛
this is my kind of soup, hearty and comforting 🙂
Hearty soups are my saviors in this nasty winter 😀
I love eating beans but they must be hot or not it don’t go well with my stomach. This is perfect for this cold nights. Thanks
I hope you’ll try and like the recipe, David 🙂
hi
the secret of cooking beans
soak them overnight in cold water
rinse rinse
cook them well- no salt
have fun
kim