Bolita Beans, give them a try with this hearty bolita bean beef soup. This soup uses beef stew meat, and spoiler alert, there’s red wine involved for a special complex flavor.
The Bolita Bean
Inspired by a snow storm, this soup made excellent use of that remaining half bag of Bolita Beans in the pantry.
I buy dried beans from the farm markets east of Denver. Bolita Beans are grown in Colorado in the Southwest Corner of our state and distributed by Adobe Creek Milling. If you can’t find them, I’ve provided an Affiliate Link for your convenience.
What Are Bolita Beans?
But what’s the difference between Bolita and Pinto beans? They look similar to Pinto beans, a bit smaller and creamier in texture and they seem to absorb every single spice flavor you cook them with.
The bolita bean is believed to have been cultivated and developed by the Spanish who settled in northern New Mexico. An heirloom bean, the bolita bean is considered to be sweeter, richer tasting and easier on the stomach than the pinto bean.
Bolitas cook faster, are excellent tasting and may be substituted for the pinto in any recipe.
Cooking Bolita Beans In the Crock Pot
For this bean soup, I cooked just shy of two cups dried beans with about five cups of water and a heaping tablespoon of lard in the crockpot until they were tender. Depending on how fresh your beans are, depends on the cooking time. Expect 5 – 8 hours.
Soaking beans. I’ve done both. I’ve soaked beans in water over night before cooking in the crock pot, and I’ve not soaked them. Either way, they’ll cook up beautifully.
Soft and aromatic they were ready to be added to the lineup of ingredients for this soup. Hearty, stick to your ribs and packed full of flavor.
Recipe For Bolita Bean Soup with Beef
This soup relies on red wine to boost the flavor. The recipe would also work well with Kidney, Calico, or Pinto Beans. One cup of beans will yield two cups of cooked beans.
I’ve also used bolita beans as a side dish in the recipe for Bolitas with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeno. DEElicious.
I hope you give this Bolita Beans soup recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating, and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite recipe using bolita beans, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
In the bean soup mood? Take a look at my:
Best Bean Soup Recipes
- Easy Black Bean Soup with Ham
- Southwestern Chicken and Bean Soup
- Great Northern White Bean Soup with Bacon
- Potato Soup with Mayocoba Beans
More Beef Soup Recipes
And if you love making soups as much as we do here On The Ranch, don’t miss my Soup and Stew Category You’ll find a ton of great recipes. Including the most popular stew recipe on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s New Mexico Beef Chili.
Bolita Bean and Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 green bell peppers stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
- 2 leaves ribs celery with diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound beef stew meat cut into bite sized pieces
- All purpose flour enough to coat meat
- 3 1/2 cups cooked Bolita Beans
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried Summer Savory
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- a pinch of hot chile powder I used hot green ancho
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 quart chicken stock
- 2 cups hearty red wine
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Sour cream or plain yogurt for garnish.
Instructions
- In a 10 inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft. About 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and celery and sauté another 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the beans, honey, Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, summer savory, basil, cloves, hot pepper, salt and pepper.
- Toss the cubes of steak with flour and shake off access flour. In another large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and brown beef on both sides. In a large heavy stock pot, bring the chicken stock, wine, tomato paste to a boil. Add the browned beef and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir in the bean mixture, turn down heat to very low and let simmer partially covered until the flavors are blended. About 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition
Bolita Bean and Beef Soup with Wine …It’s what’s for Dinner.
As the bolita beans soup simmered on the stove top, Kim with Roamin’ Baths, our mobile groomer, set up shop out front to clean up the pups.
This is puppy Remy’s first groom and he came through with flying colors. Didn’t seem any worse for the wear.
And speaking of coiffed dogs, we attended the Denver Dog show last Saturday at the National Western Sports Complex and I took some photos of the contenders. This is my favorite shot of the day. It’s in need of a great caption.
A trip to the dog show wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Cattleman’s Grill. You stand in line with your plastic tray and grab a cheeseburger that’s hot off the flaming flat top grill. The cafeteria style restaurant, located inside Denver’s National Western Stock Show Complex, serves an array of Western and BBQ food and seats quite a crowd.
Grab as many dill pickles as you can teeter on the small flimsy paper plate and find a seat at the family style tables. Complete with plastic checkered table cloths it’s a great lunch.
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.
Haven’t tried your recipie yet but am hopeful when the weather cools… I am curious though, could this recipie work with lamb stew meat in place of the beef?
Good Morning Gabe and thanks for your note.
Absolutely yes! You can substitute lamb meat for the beef. Great idea. I’m going to update the recipe to reflect the substitution for other readers.
I finally got to try your recipie tonight and I did try the lamb meat in place of the beef and it came out amazing, I also used the stock I made from boiling lamb shanks down for the stew meat in place of the chicken stock… this recipie will defineatly be a welcome addition to my winter lineup for sure…
I finally got to try your recipie tonight and I did try the lamb meat in place of the beef and it came out amazing, I also used the stock I made from boiling lamb shanks down before browning for the stew meat in place of the chicken stock… this recipie will defineatly be a welcome addition to my winter lineup for sure…
Delicious soup. I’ve been growing my own bolitos here in western Colorado for a few years now, and am so pleased to find a recipe that doesn’t use the usual NM spices (not that I don’t love them, it’s just fun to take the meal in a different direction). Did sub fresh thyme for the savory and cooked my beans in the instant pot for a long time (60 minutes, unsoaked). I’m down to the end of last fall’s harvest and may have to add another row to this year’s planting thanks to this recipe. Thank you.
Great recipe. The only thing I added, which all beans, soups and stew that we eat, is light green tabasco peppers in vinegar sauce. And your poodle photo IS its own caption;)lol! Enjoying you site.
Good Morning Kathy and thanks so much for your note.
About those peppers in vinegar. Do you buy them that way, or do you purchase a certain type of pepper and put them in vinegar?
I have a jar of banana type peppers that Mezzetta produces. I’d like to try your addition next time I make chili.
And I love that photo of that poodle. I had somewhat forgotten is was hiding below that recipe.
Again, Thanks for your note.
This looks truly tasty and hearty in the face of our upcoming snowstorm… Thanks!
Thanks. I’m about tired of our upcoming snowstorms! 🙂
Oh dear, I think I’m going to have to have a burger and fries for lunch now!
Your pup is absolutely adorable….
I want a burger and fries for breakfast, lunch, dinner … why oh why can’t it be more healthy? 🙂
Lea Ann, unlike my husband, I love beans. And this soup looks fantastic–even my “no beans” guy is going to love it! Pinning now.
Thanks for that Pin Jean. And what are we going to do with that “no beans” hubby????
I think we were on the same wave length a few weeks ago. I went to the dog show on Saturday, too. I made a bean soup last week, And soon I am posting a recipe with pick a peppa sauce and shrimp. You sure know how to rock!
GET OUT! What if we ran into each other an didn’t know it. And a note about that pickapeppa … it’s my secret ingredient. Love the stuff.
I thought the soup looked tasty by the photo and I wasn’t disappointed with the recipe. And those BURGERS—OMG!
You are right. There is no way you could miss stopping there. Your pup is adorable by the way!
I wish I had one of those burgers right now.
I never see bolito beans in my supermarket, although they’re in some Italian markets I visit. This looks like a great soup. And we haven’t had as much snow and cold as you’ve had, the weather here has been nasty. So we’re eating soup, soup, and more soup. Can always use another recipe. 😉 Thanks!
Odd, I think of Bolito beans as a Mexican/Southwestern type bean. At least you can find them. I really like em.
I love the name ‘Roamin’ Baths’! So cute and so is Remy 🙂 Your beans and beef sound so tasty with the red wine.
Thank you Susan.
Love this recipe – beans are such a great guilt-free comfort food. Can’t wait to try this.
Remy looks sweet as can be! That Poodle looks like she is thinking, “what EVAH!”
Well finally, a caption. I agree about those beans. Isn’t it fun when comfort food is healthy. 🙂
I’ve never heard of Bolito beans before, but from your description they sound pretty great! This soup looks hearty and tasty!
Thanks Amy. Bolito Beans may be a Colorado/New Mexico thing. They sure are good.
This post had me smiling…cute little Remy, burgers with mustard and lots of dill pickles and of course your bean and beef soup. I’m another fan of Pickapeppa sauce.
Thanks Karen. Pickapeppa sauce is the best in soups like this. I panic if I’m out. 🙂
Oh, that precious little Remy, he is so cute! I’d like a cuddle with him and a bowl of this soup. Stay warm!
Thanks Karen, much cuter groomed. He was getting a little messy.
OK. Now I’m going to have to pick up a bag of Bolito beans. This looks … stick to every damn one of my ribs good! And I appreciate (much more than you could know) your use of Pickapeppa sauce. Wow!
Pickapeppa is a soup’s best friend. Love that stuff.
Lea Ann, I have trouble cooking dried beans at my altitude – guess I can just substitute canned. Sounds like a delicious, hearty soup. Snowing hard all day on top of the 9″ overnight. My crew is skiing. Guess what I have in crock pot – pork barbecue using your chicken barbecue recipe. It’s a hit with my family.
I never thought of beans and altitude. Interesting. You bet, use canned. We’re getting snow in Denver, about 8 inches and counting. Perfect crockpot weather. And love that you used pork. I’ll have to try that next time.
Your soup looks delicious and has some interesting flavors in it – I’ve not heard of Bolito beans so I’ll go research them. That’s pretty nice having the groomer come to you and a clever business plan by the owner. looks like a fine place for lunch – a cheeseburger with mustard and dill pickle used to be my favorite until I was exposed to Bev’s super burger.
It is nice having the groomer come to us. We’ve been using her for over 10 years. Growing up I always ordered my burgers mustard only … because my Dad did. 🙂 ok, what’s this about a super burger. Heading over to your blog to do a search.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s never heard of bolito beans. But if they are anything like pintos, they must be delicious. This ole southern gal thinks beans are the perfect solution to miserable weather. Take care Lea Ann and stay warm.
Sam
P.S. The doggy pictures are precious.
Growing up in the middle of Kansas, my mom somehow had some Southern influence that she passed along to me. I’m with you about beans and soup for perfect comfort food.
Never heard of bolitos. You are so right…that poodle needs a caption.
Well, I was counting on you Debra. I’m not the clever one around here. 🙂