Israeli-style white bean soup is a classic, savory Mizrahi-Israeli soup made with navy beans and seasoned with the warm, earthy, Middle Eastern taste of cumin.
It’s simple to make with just navy beans, onions, and lots of flavor!
It’s a hearty, delicious comfort food. And it’s vegan!
Eat it in a bowl as is or pour it over rice or Moroccan couscous.
Use pre-cooked beans and make it a quick, one pot recipe!
Israeli-style white bean soup is a perfect comfort food for anyone who loves Middle Eastern food. Especially if you love cumin!
Serve it in a bowl or over rice (my personal favorite!) or Moroccan couscous (made from semolina).
It refrigerates well, so make ahead and just warm up when you come home from work or school!
And it’s budget-friendly!
Looking for something to bring to a pot luck or as your contribution to the family get-together? This unique soup will be a hit with anyone who loves Middle Eastern food and the earthy taste of cumin!
The longest part of this recipe cooking the beans! The rest is quick and simple! And it’s SO delicious!
TIP: Use pre-cooked navy beans and save time! And then you can make it in one pot!
A little about white beans
White beans are also known as Navy beans in the US, because the navy has served it to it’s sailors as a staple since the middle of the 19th century.
White beans are a common type of bean that has been domesticated in North and South America.
And navy beans have health benefits!
They contain 17 grams of protein and are rich in copper, folate, and iron. In addition, white beans are high in certain antioxidants.
What are the different oils used in cooking?
“High-heat” oils have neutral flavors and have been processed in order to handle high temperatures and are good for sautéing, searing, and frying. These include canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil, each with its own “best for” with chefs.
Some oils have their own flavor and are good for sautéing and roasting and add a little extra to the dish. These include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil. Extra virgin olive oil works well with roasting or sautéing, but not for deep frying.
Coconut oil is good in dishes where a slightly coconut flavor enhances the dish, and peanut oil is good for deep frying and will add a subtle nutty taste and smell. Many Asian dishes call for peanut oil in the ingredients.
Then there are oils that are not used with heat but rather for dressing up foods, such as sesame oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil, among others.
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
A little about Israeli cuisine
Some people complain about cultural appropriation in cuisine when food from one country is attributed to another country.
However, national cuisine in itself is often a mingling of food from a variety of cultures, often due to a change of ruling countries and a shifting of borders.
When one lives in a melting pot, such as the US or Israel, it is just unrealistic to expect that food from a particular culture won’t mingle with that of other cultures.
That being said, “Israeli cuisine” is basically Middle Eastern (as opposed to Eastern European food) that was brought to Israel by Jews when they fled or were expelled from Muslim countries and moved to Israel mostly after the declaration of the State of Israel (collectively known as Mizrahi Jews).
Recipes were passed from generation to generation, and although decades have passed, the foods are still known by the culture they came from, and everyone seems to have their own way of making them.
That said, there are many variations of pretty much any “Israeli” recipe because of background, custom, or even just taste. When choosing a recipe, one has to know what actually constitutes the main ingredients—what makes the dish what it is—and what is left up to individual taste.
Sometimes, “authentic” is in the title of an “Israeli” recipe, when it actually includes personal preferences and twists and is beyond the classic or traditional recipe.
Adding more or less of a spice or adding a spice that is not in the recipe does not make it less authentic, but calling it “authentic” and then adding unnecessary extra ingredients above and beyond what needs to be there is misleading and unnecessary.
What is needed for this recipe?
I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.
But these are what you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!
navy beans (white beans)
onion
tomato paste
paprika
chicken bullion powder
white sugar
cumin
granulated garlic
oil for frying
Love soup? Try these!
- Vegan Split Pea Soup
- Israeli Vegetable Soup
- Vegetarian French Onion Soup
- Vegetarian Egg Drop Soup
- Barley Beef Soup
- Creamy Vegetarian Potato Soup
Easy Israeli-Style White Bean Soup
Middle Eastern savory, navy bean soup with the warm flavor of cumin.
Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans (white beans)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons chicken bullion powder, vegetarian
- 1 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
- 8 cups water
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook navy beans according to the instructions on the package (cooked through, but not mushy).*
- Pour enough oil in the bottom of a large pot just to cover the bottom and saute the diced onion until slightly brown.
- Add the water, cooked beans, tomato paste, paprika, chicken bullion powder, sugar, cumin, and granulated garlic.
- Mix well.
- Cook on medium heat for around 20 minutes, mixing occasionally, until the soup thickens a little.
Notes
*This should take around 1 - 1.5 hours if you soak the beans for around 8 hours (ie overnigh or while you're at work) before cooking. Otherwise, it can take up to 3 hours.
Feel free to use pre-cooked white beans to save time!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 7gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g