Romanian Bean Soup
This vegan traditional Romanian bean soup is a staple of winter. It requires very affordable ingredients and it makes easily. It's a perfect comforting winter warming dish.
Ingredients
- 300 gr white beans
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large onion
- 1 celery
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- bunch of dill
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by soaking the beans in water overnight. If you can, change the water once or twice before cooking.
- When you're ready to cook, rinse the beans and put them in a pot covered with fresh water.
- Bring the beans to a boil and let them cook for 5 minutes. Then, drain the water, rinse the beans, and cover them with fresh water again.
- Repeat the above step one more time.
- Now, cover the beans with plenty of water, add 2-3 bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Let them simmer for 1-2 hours until they're nice and soft. The cooking time depends on how old your beans are.
- When the beans are almost ready, it's time to prep the veggies.
- In a separate pan, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery until they're soft.
- Add the sautéed veggies to the pot of beans and give everything a good stir. Let it all cook together for about 15 minutes.
- Toss in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the smoked paprika and sweet paprika, and let the soup cook for another 5 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the chopped dill and salt to taste.
- Serve your soup piping hot. If you want to go full Romanian style, offer some red onion, green chilli peppers, and a dollop of sour cream on the side.