🍲 Balkan White Bean Soup (Creamy, Smoky, and Soul-Warming)

Name: 🍲 Balkan White Bean Soup (Creamy, Smoky, and Soul-Warming)
Total time: 240 min
Cuisine: Balkan
Ingredients: 🫘 300 g dried white beans, soaked overnight (1 ½ cups); 🧅 1 onion, finely chopped; 🥕 1 carrot, diced; 🌶️ 2 g smoked paprika (1 tsp); 🌿 1 bay leaf; 🧂 1 ½ tsp salt; 🧄 2 garlic cloves, minced; 🫒 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp); 💧 1.2 L water or vegetable broth (5 cups); 🍅 Optional: 15 g tomato paste (1 tbsp)

Soups and Stews Balkan RichardObradovic Jun 14, 2025 54

Description

This hearty white bean soup is slow-cooked with root vegetables, smoked paprika, and bay leaf — just like grandma made it. Creamy without cream, rich without meat — it feeds the soul on cold days.

Ingredients

🫘 300 g dried white beans, soaked overnight (1 ½ cups)
🧅 1 onion, finely chopped
🥕 1 carrot, diced
🌶️ 2 g smoked paprika (1 tsp)
🌿 1 bay leaf
🧂 1 ½ tsp salt
🧄 2 garlic cloves, minced
🫒 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp)
💧 1.2 L water or vegetable broth (5 cups)
🍅 Optional: 15 g tomato paste (1 tbsp)

Preparation

1️⃣ Prep beans: Drain soaked beans and rinse.
2️⃣ Start base: In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
3️⃣ Build flavor: Add carrot, paprika, bay leaf, and tomato paste. Stir well.
4️⃣ Simmer: Add beans and pour in water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low.
5️⃣ Cook gently: Cover and simmer for 1.5–2 hours, or until beans are soft. Stir occasionally.
6️⃣ Adjust: Remove bay leaf, season to taste, and mash a few beans for extra creaminess.

Total Time

🛠️ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook: 1 h 45 min
🕒 Total: 2 h (including soaking overnight)

Nutritional Value

🔥 280 kcal
💪 Protein: 12 g
🧈 Fat: 8 g (Saturated: 1 g)
🍞 Carbohydrates: 35 g
🧂 Sodium: 680 mg

Advice

Let it rest 10 minutes before serving — the flavors deepen beautifully in the steam.

Status

🍲 Creamy, smoky, and meatless — this Balkan white bean soup is slow comfort in a bowl.
#GrannyZen #BalkanSoups #BeanComfort #SoulFood

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