Our red bean soup with greens is served with diced bacon, halloumi, and red wine vinegar. It is delicious, hearty, and satisfying. Bright, thick, and packed with greens, it is a one-pot meal perfect for fall or winter.

If you love this Classic Chess Pie, you will also love this hearty lentil sausage soup, lentil spinach soup with lemon or lemon chicken soup!

Soup bowls with red bean soup, a loaf of bread, spoons and a cloth napkin.

Why this recipe sings

This is not a typical red bean soup. The combination of ingredients creates a complex flavor profile. The pasta, bacon, and especially the vinegar give an exciting and unexpected flavor.

You can reduce or increase the amount of the stock for a red bean stew or a more brothy soup.

Here is what you need

All the ingredients for making red bean soup on a butcher block.

Extra virgin olive oil. A must in most of my recipes,
Onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. A classic soup base.
Spinach. You can substitute with other greens such as chicory, or kale
Tomato paste. It gives an intense savory flavor.
Chicken stock. Vegetable or beef stock will work just as well.
Dry red beans.
Short-cut pasta such as orecchiette, farfalle, penne
Fresh herbs. My go-to’s are fresh basil and parsley.
Sea salt, pepper, ground cumin, chili flakes, and dried oregano.

What you need for serving

A glass bottle of vinegar, sliced halloumi cheese and thick slices of bacon on a butcher block.

Red wine vinegar. This is an essential ingredient, not to be missed. As my husband says, “it makes the soup”.
Thick-cut bacon or pancetta. I just love a little bit of bacon on top. You can substitute it with prosciutto, ham, or whatever you fancy.
Halloumi cheese. The Cypriot cheese is similar to mozzarella. It is semi-hard with a slightly spongy texture. Its high melting point makes it ideal for grilling or frying. It transforms from plain and rubbery to beautifully crispy and savory on the outside and creamy on the inside.

How to make it

Rinse beans in a colander using cold water, check for broken or cracked pieces and discard them. Place them in plenty of water and soak them overnight. Rinse and drain beans when you are ready for cooking.

Soaking your beans helps them cook faster and more evenly, making them easier to digest. See recipe notes for a speedy version of soaking beans in case you forgot or don’t have much time.

Diced carrots, celery, onion and garlic cooking in a stockpot. — Heat a large pot over medium-high for a minute or so to warm it up. Add the olive oil and diced onion, and sauté for one to two minutes. Add the garlic, celery, carrot, and sauté until very soft and brown at the edges for five minutes.

Tomato paste, diced celery, carrot, onion and garlic cooking in a stockpot. — Add tomato paste, seasonings, and sauté until the paste darkens for about one minute.

Meanwhile, rinse the greens and pull the leaves off the stems. Chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Beans, diced vegetables cooking in a stockpot. — Add beans and sauté two to three minutes.

Stock and beans cooking in a stockpot. — Add the stock and bring it to a simmer. Let soup simmer until it is thick and flavorful for sixty to ninety minutes.

Spinach in a stock cooking in a stockpot. — Add the greens to the pot and simmer for five to ten minutes. Add a little water or broth if the liquid gets too reduced.

A cup of pasta in a spinach stock cooking . — Stir pasta into the pot, taste, and simmer for ten more minutes or until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat and add sea salt to taste.

Cut the halloumi cheese into thick slices, about 5 mm each (3/16 inch). Dice the thick bacon.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan—Fry the bacon. Transfer to a plate, and using the bacon fat, fry the halloumi cheese. Season with plenty of fresh ground pepper and a pinch of dried oregano. Fry each slice for one to two minutes until they have a nice golden color at the edges.