29 Yummy Bean Soup Recipes That Eat Like a Meal

Beans are chock full of fiber, protein and necessary vitamins, so we’re always trying to incorporate more of them into our diet. Soup is a versatile and relatively simple vehicle for serving beans. Be them black beans, pinto beans or garbanzo beans, there’s a soup recipe ready to fill your Dutch oven or slow cooker. Whether you’re looking for a lazy Sunday cooking project to stock your refrigerator or just need a weeknight dinner on the table fast, we have quick options to use up pantry ingredients and incorporate beans into your soups.

This thick and chunky black bean soup shares a lot of ingredients with a spicy pot of chili, but with just a handful of crisp bacon instead of ground turkey or beef. Hearty and smoky, black beans provide enough texture and body that you could skip the bacon completely to make it vegetarian. Finish it off with shredded cheese, chopped scallions and a dollop of sour cream.

Think you don’t have enough in the pantry for dinner? Think again. This simple white bean soup uses just a handful of simple ingredients you likely have on hand to make a tasty and filling dish that’s ready in less than 30 minutes. The secret to the soup is a few tablespoons of pesto, which simmer with the beans to impart them with a lovely garlicky basil flavor profile.

Pasta e fagioli is a traditional Italian soup that combines a small pasta shape with tender beans and a rich tomato broth. Rachael Ray gives us a simplified version of her grandfather’s, which starts with crisp pancetta and plenty of fresh rosemary and thyme. Make sure to serve it with a hunk of crusty bread to soak up the last drops of broth.

This hearty soup simmers dried navy beans with smoky ham hocks fresh herbs and a puree-thickened broth for a comforting cold-weather bowl. A bit of butter melted on top adds richness to every spoonful.

Ina Garten’s Parker’s Split Pea Soup is a hearty, comforting classic made with tender split peas, smoky ham hocks and fresh vegetables for rich, savory flavor. Perfect for a cozy dinner, it’s simple to make yet deeply satisfying.

Dinner ready in less than 10 minutes? Yes, it’s possible This white bean soup prioritizes efficiency so that the broth is simmering while your cheesy tomato toasts broil in the oven. Make the recipe as-is, or experiment by adding more spices or vegetables to enhance the soup.

A big batch of brothy beans is a versatile and endlessly adaptable dish. We worked up a recipe that lets you mix-and-match your favorite ingredients (or whatever you happen to have on hand). Be it Italian, Latin, Cajun or Tex-Mex, the flavor profile is up to you!

This Meatball, Bean and Escarole Soup blends tender homemade meatballs, creamy beans and leafy escarole in a savory broth for a wholesome, flavor-packed meal. It’s a comforting bowl that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.

Anyone who thinks that soups can’t be satisfying, hasn’t tried this recipe. Smoked cocktail sausages simmer with cherry tomatoes, veggies and a combination of both white beans and baked beans. The baked beans combined with the sausages make the soup taste like your favorite plate of barbecue.

This traditional American soup was served in the Senate dining room for over a century. It’s simple but filling, made with navy beans, a ham hock, onions and usually potatoes or celery. The potato acts as a thickener to give the soup a creamy texture.

This simple bean soup uses both cannellini and garbanzo beans to vary the texture. It freezes and thaws very well, so feel free to make a big batch to stow away for a chilly night. Soft, buttery challah croutons topped with shredded Gruyere acts as the perfect accompaniment.

Ready in just 40 minutes, this brothy bean soup represents some of the best of American cooking. This version uses fresh fennel bulb to add a light taste of anise and finishes with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sweet Italian sausage adds a savory depth to the soup, complementing the earthiness of the beans and the subtle sweetness of the fennel.

This recipe uses a quick, microwave-friendly method for mojo sauce to add a finishing burst of flavor to each bite. The sauce has roots in Latin American and Caribbean cuisines and features fresh cilantro, garlic, olive oil and lime. The bean soup itself takes some inspiration from these cuisines as well, like simmering the beans with pork ribs and a pour of dark rum.

This hearty soup has a little bit of everything. Italian sausage and soft cannellini beans take center stage, stewed with small shell pasta and plenty of veggies. The recipe is versatile, so feel free to use it as a jumping-off point to clear out the refrigerator.

Even vegetarian soups can be hearty with the help of creamy, protein-packed beans. The soup combines cannelini beans with chopped Swiss chard, garlic and roasted red peppers to make a simple, brothy meal that’s ready fast. A handful of chopped cilantro adds just the right extra touch to bring everything together.

Beans can be a wonderful thickener in soups where they provide a creamy texture that adds fiber without fat. This soup uses canned white beans to thicken a rich tomato soup. Crispy, garlicky mozzarella croutons add a lovely crunch to each spoonful.

Italian flavors work well in a bean soup where the bright taste of garlic, tomato and red pepper flakes can soak into the beans. This Tuscan bean soup has plenty of Great Northern beans stewed with kale to create a tasty dish that’s healthy without being bland. Torn basil and shavings of Parmesan cheese add a final garnish that adds color and rounds out the soup.

Get smooth, rich black bean soup in an hour with the help of an Instant Pot. Instead of simmering on the stove for hours, dry black beans pressure cook with garlic, chili powder, and cumin to tender perfection. Top it off with sliced avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

This soup recipe uses one of our best kept secrets: simmering a soup or stew with a leftover Parmesan rind. The hard rind of a wheel of Parmesan can act like a bone, imparting rich layers of flavor into a broth the longer it bubbles away on the stove. Each bowl of soup is finished with a crispy piece of garlic-Parmesan toast.

This Tex-Mex-inspired soup combines the richness of black beans, pinto beans and tomatoes, enhanced with cumin and garlic for a warming, spicy kick. Brown rice adds a nice contrast of flavor, while mashed beans help thicken the soup. Serve it with warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro and plenty of melted cheddar cheese.

Soup can make for a fancy passed appetizer if served appropriately. These soup shooters offer the perfect sip of creamy white bean soup that’s flavored with fresh sage, bacon, and a hint of cayenne pepper. The final topping of goat cheese-smeared croutons leaves you with a decadent and rich finish that will bring you back for more.

We love a good, set-it-and-forget-it recipe—espeically when it's packed full of nourishing ingredients. This black bean soup is one of our favorites because it packs an extra protein punch with both black beans and smoked turkey. Plus, this recipe makes 6 servings so it's great for meal prepping a wholesome lunch for the week.

Spicy and rich, this soup has many wonderful textures and flavors that come together to create a tasty meal that’s ready fast. Spicy chopped chorizo and smoked paprika add plenty of spice, while the potatoes and shrimp provide a hearty base. The chickpea can liquid helps thicken the soup without any extra ingredient required.

So simple, it’s barely a recipe. This is one of the easier soup recipes you’ll find but that doesn’t mean it’s not flavorful or filling. Make it with or without the sausage, depending on your mood for meat.

Ree Drummond’s black bean soup cooks from dry beans to finished soup in less than an hour thanks to some help from a multi-cooker. After releasing the pressure, use an immersion blender to give the soup a silky-smooth texture.

Leftover diced ham can be reused to create a simple white bean soup that’s brimming with vegetables. Simmer the vegetables with dried cannellini beans until the beans are soft and bursting with flavor. Just before serving, stir in shucked fresh corn and cubed ham and heat until just warmed.

Soft pasta, crisp bacon, creamy white beans—this soup has a bit of everything. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of kale, this soup calls for chopped frozen kale that tenderizes as it thaws. Plenty of Parmesan cheese helps to flavor the tasty broth and covers any bitterness from the greens.

Lima beans are high in fiber, rich in protein, and puree into a silky-smooth soup. This recipe adds apple to the soup for a touch of sweetness, which balances with the salty parmesan bacon crisp garnish. Leave the bacon off and switch the chicken broth to vegetable to make this a great vegetarian option.