Rich, robust and full flavored, this Bean and Beef Soup is a hearty meal. With beef broth and red wine as a base, this is a very flavorful soup full of sheer pizzaz.
Nothing pairs better with a rich soup than a piece of Cheesy Cornbread and an Iceberg Wedge Salad.
This bean and beef soup builds satisfying hearty flavors in a few key ways. Red wine and beef broth are such an elemental combination, and when combined, create a beautiful rich base for this soup.
The soup starts with a classic combination of carrots, onion and celery, a mirepoix. A customary combination for building flavor in many soups, stews and sauces.
Adding tomato paste brings another rich depth of flavor. Tomato paste is an MVP in the kitchen. The long cooking time used to make tomato paste gives it a concentrated sweet rich flavor. Just a dollop can add a subtle burst of robust flavor and body into just about any soup or tomato based pasta sauce. Add tomato paste at the beginning of the cooking process to add another layer of flavor. It’s a brilliant little trick.
This rich flavor layered soup was inspired by my Beef Stew with Mushrooms recipe. Another soup where technique and process are important to optimize flavor.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you away from making this recipe. Once the dicing and slicing is over, this bean and beef soup comes together easy.
- Cooked Beans: I like to cook dried beans in the crockpot. It’s such an easy method, and healthier than using canned beans. About any type of bean will work here. I used Anasazi beans. Pinto beans, red kidney beans, or bolita beans are all good choices. I also wouldn’t hesitate using a mixed bean combination, like the ones you find to make 15-bean soup.
- Beef: This recipe doesn’t call for a long cook time, so choose a lean cut of beef like top sirloin steak. It’s a flavorful tender cut of meat without requiring a long cook time. Sirloin and top round are also good choices here.
- Mirepoix: A classic flavor base for so many soups; chopped onion, celery and carrot.
- Spices: Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, Summer savory, dried basil, and Red chile powder.
- Bell Peppers: I like to buy those fresh, colorful bell peppers in a 3 count pack. Delicious flavor, versatile for use in a variety of dishes and recipes.
- For The Broth: Beef broth and a hearty red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot work well here.
- Neutral Oil: Canola oil or vegetable oil work well here.
- Fresh Garlic: You simply can’t make soup without it.
- Tomato Paste: An MVP in the kitchen, it will add a robust layer of flavor to this soup.
- Honey: To add just a hint of sweetness.
- Pickapeppa Sauce: A unique blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, peppers and spices. A product from Jamaica, it’s a great option anytime a recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce. You’ve got to give it a try.
Chef’s Secret: Tomato paste is an MVP in the kitchen. The long cooking time used to make tomato paste gives it a concentrated sweet rich flavor. Just a dollop can add a subtle burst of robust flavor and body into just about any soup or tomato based pasta sauce. Add tomato paste at the beginning of the cooking process to add another layer of flavor. It’s a brilliant little trick.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: I like to cook the beans in a crockpot the day before. Cover with water, add a scoop of lard. Add a bay leaf and cook on low for about 5 hours or until tender. Easy! Done!
- Step 2: In a large skillet heat two tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes., stirring occasionally.
- Step 3: Add the bell peppers, and sauté another 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Remove from heat and stir in Summer savory, basil, chile powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Summer Savory
Summer savory can be a hard spice to find. Substitute dried thyme.
- Step 5: Toss the cubes of steak with flour and shake off access flour.
- Step 6: In a Dutch oven, heat four tablespoons of oil and brown beef on both sides. Do this step in two batches as not to overcrowd the meat.
- Step 7: Add the beef stock, honey, Pickapeppa sauce, wine, tomato paste and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Step 8: Stir in the cooked beans and vegetable mixture. Turn down heat to very low and let simmer uncovered until the flavors are blended. About 30 minutes.
Hint: When you first add the broth and wine, use a spatula to scrape up any bits of meat that has accumulated on the bottom of the pan. There’s a lot of flavor in those bits.
Substitutions
- Bell Peppers – My husband didn’t like the bell peppers in this recipe. If you’d like to switch them out, I’d suggest cubed butternut squash, or purple potatoes. Avoid white potatoes, as the deep dark red color of the wine/beef broth will turn white potatoes purple.
- Canned Beans: You can substitute 2-15 ½ ounce cans of beans. Choose pinto or red kidney beans. Drain and rinse before using.
- Vegetarian – If you want to make this a vegetarian soup, substitute small button mushrooms for the steak.
- Don’t confuse “chili” powder with “chile powder”. Chili powder with an “i” is a blend of spices used to make Tex Mex Style Chili Soups, like my Award Winning Chili recipe. Chile powder with an “e” is a single blend red chile powder. Use Ancho chile powder if you don’t have access to New Mexico Red Chile Powder.
- Sour Cream: Substitute plain Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream.
Equipment
A 7-quart Dutch oven is a workhorse in my kitchen. I’ve used my Le Creuset at least once a week for the 10 years I’ve owned it. Which, to me, justifies it’s pretty price tag.
Storage
As with most soups and stews, this is a recipe that just gets more flavorful the longer it sits. This bean and beef soup makes enough to feed an army. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This soup will also freeze well for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Don’t skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
FAQ’s
I would advise against it, as stew meat requires a very long cook time to break down and become tender enough to eat. Save stew meat or chuck roast for those long simmering recipes like this recipe for Beef Stew with Mushrooms.
Red wine is commonly used along side beef stock as a braising liquid for many soups and sauces. Added at the beginning, it’s beneficial to add flavor, and it’s acidity will keep food moist and tender. Red wine is an important ingredient for the robust flavor of this recipe. To answer your question, yes you can use white wine, but I would suggest saving it for poaching fish, or for chicken dishes like this Chicken in White Wine Sauce.
Dried beans can take a few hours of cooking time to become tender. For this recipe, since we’re using a lean cut of steak, please pre-cook the beans before adding to the soup. Cooking beans and meat together simply won’t work in this recipe.
More Popular Soups You Might Like
Looking for other hearty soup recipes like this? Try:
I consider soups and stews to be my specialty so please don’t miss my category for Soup Recipes. You’ll find lots of comfort food recipes to keep you cozy all Winter long.
Two of the most popular soup recipes on my site are for this old fashioned Taco Soup with Ranch Dressing and my 15 Bean Soup Crockpot recipe.
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Hearty Red Wine Bean and Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons Neutral oil divided. Canola and vegetable oil work well here.
- 1 cup Sweet onion chopped
- 1 cup Celery chopped
- 1 cup Carrot chopped
- 3 Bell peppers stemmed, seeded and diced. I like to use a package of the tri-colored peppers.
- 4 Cloves garlic diced
- 2 pounds Top Sirloin Beef Steak cut into bite sized pieces
- All purpose flour enough to coat meat
- 1 teaspoon Summer Savory dried
- 1 teaspoon Basil dried
- ½ teaspoon Chile powder Preferably New Mexico red chile powder or ancho chile powder.
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups Beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups Hearty red wine Merlot or Cabernet work well here
- ¼ cup Tomato paste
- 3 ½ Cups Cooked dried beans ½ pound dried beans will equal about 3 ½ cups when cooked.
- Sour cream
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes., stirring occasionally. Add the bell peppers, and sauté another 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat and stir in Summer savory, basil, chili powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Toss the cubes of steak with flour and shake off access flour. In a Dutch oven, heat 4 tablespoons of oil and brown beef on both sides. Do this step in two batches as not to overcrowd the meat. You want a good sear on the pieces of steak. Too crowded of a pan will create a steaming effect.
- Add the beef stock, honey, Pickapeppa sauce, wine, tomato paste and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked beans and vegetable mixture. Turn down heat to very low and let simmer partially covered until the flavors are blended. About 30 minutes. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Bean and Beef Soup … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Lea Ann, your hearty red wine and beef soup looks soul comforting. As the cooler air finally arrives this would be soul comforting. Thanks for the inspiration.
I like the little explanations you include in your posts. The soup sounds delicious and I’ll put it on the list for soup season.