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calypso bean soup cookbook
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Anasazi Bean and Roasted Chile Soup

"By whatever name it’s known, this widely discussed bean has a sweeter taste than most beans of its size, and it has four times fewer complex sugars of gastric distress fame.  It also cooks faster than comparable beans, such as the pinto.  And if that isn’t enough, it makes fabulous soup.” - Lesa Heebner
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 153kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried Anasazi beans soaked* and drained
  • 1 6-inch strip kombu seaweed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 stalks celery diced
  • 1 large carrot sliced
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 6 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 6 cups fresh water
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 3 anaheim mild , or poblano (hot) chilies
  • 8 whole garlic cloves skins on
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes plus juices
  • 1 12-ounce beer regular or gluten-free
  • 4 teaspoons pasilla or ancho chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce for garnish (use Tamari if gluten-free)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro optional

Instructions

  • Put the beans in an 8 quart Dutch oven.  Add the kombu, bay leaf, celery, carrot, onion, garlic and fresh water.  Cook for 1 hour and discard the kombu. 
  • Cook for 30 to 60 more minutes, or until the beans are tender.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to Broil.  Roast the red bell pepper and chilies (see notes below or use jarred roasted red bells and canned mild green Ortega chilies).  When done, set aside.
  • Roast the garlic cloves in the skin: preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put individual garlic cloves, skins on, on a baking sheet and bake for twenty to thirty minutes, or until soft.  When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins from the garlic.
  • Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, plus juices, beer, pasilla or ancho chile powder, cumin, thyme, coriander, salt, black pepper, and soy sauce to the soup.  Cook at least 10 minutes longer.
  • Put the peppers/chilies and roasted garlic in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add the soup in batches and puree the peppers/chilies/garlic and two-thirds of the soup.  NOTE:  I have personally had leakage issues when adding soup to my food processor and would opt for an immersion blender in the soup pot if you have one.   Return to the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes more.  Taste, and adjust seasonings, if needed.  Serve hot, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes

*Long soak:  put them in a bowl, cover them with water and soak 8 hours or overnight.  Quick soak: Put in a pot, cover with water, plus a few extra inches of water, cover.  Bring to a boil, turn off heat and allow to sit covered between 1 ½ to 4 hours.
Roasting Peppers - this recipe on how to roast peppers will instruct on everything you need to know.
Recipe from 'Calypso Bean Soup' by Lesa Heebner. Republished with permission.

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1824IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 3mg