Easy Spanish Bean Soup Recipe

The Spanish Bean Soup, also known as Sopa de Garbanzo in Spanish, is one of the most popular soups in Spain….especially in Southern Spain in winter.

It used to be eaten only by the lower classes because the beans were cheap, but in the late 1930s during Spain Civil War the Spanish garbanzo (chickpea) soup made its way into the meals of the upper class.

This is a typical food from Andalusia, even though sometimes it is confused with the cocido madrileño (Madrid Stew).

The main difference between these dishes is that the version from Andalusia calls for different spices and chorizo, meanwhile, Madrid’s version only calls for potatoes and other sausages.

It isn’t a soup either, but rather a stew. 

The principal reason for this ingredient change is that the spices were cheaper in Andalusia thanks to trading with Africa and Asia.  

Let’s dive right into this yummy Spanish bean soup recipe – also known as garbanzo bean soup.

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Things You’ll Need

To make this Southern Spanish bean soup recipe you don’t need any fancy kitchen tools, just a large pot will work.

Besides that, there are some ingredients that might be hard to find, such as Spanish sausage, but you can substitute it with other protein.

Vegetables are really common, such as potatoes and onions.

Remember that every ingredient in this Spanish soup recipe can be substituted, but we will get to that point later. This is the best bean soup recipe because its protein content makes it a filling dish.

Besides that, it has enough vegetables, meat, and beans to keep you warm during cold winter days. Oh yes, winters can get cold in Southern Spain!

Things you need for the Spanish Bean Soup

• 1 pound dried Garbanzo (chickpea) beans
• 1 spoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 potatoes
• 1 large onion (or 2 small)
• 6 cups of water
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 Chorizos (Spanish sausage)
• 3 ounces chicken stock
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
• ½ pound smoked ham
• 2 teaspoons saffron (optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• 1 ham bone  (optional)
• Spices: fresh chopped thyme, rosemary, oregano, and ground cumin

How to make Spanish Bean Soup – Step by Step Guide

1. The first thing you need to do to get started with this Spanish bean soup is to wash and rinse thoroughly the Garbanzo beans.
2. In a large bowl cover them with water and a tablespoon of salt, and let them soak overnight. Or you can boil them on medium heat for 30 minutes to one hour.
3. After that, cut the Chorizo sausage, garlic, onions, and ham into cubes or any shape of your choice. Place them on a large pot with enough chicken stock to cover them (about two inches). Then cook them on medium heat for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the potatoes in quarters.
5. Strain the beans and pour them into the same pot with the remaining stock, spices, vegetables, and meats. Cook it for 15 minutes on high heat, and for another 15 minutes on medium heat.
6. The final step is to add the potatoes and cook for 30 more minutes on medium heat. Taste a little bit to see if it needs more salt, but remember that the chicken stock is usually pretty salty already. 
7. If you are happy with the taste, then the Spanish bean soup is ready to serve!

Related: Easy & healthy Spanish vegetable soup

Substitution of ingredients

Thankfully there are multiple garbanzo bean soup recipes, which allows you to make different versions. Indeed, there are vegan, vegetable and meat variations of the Spanish bean soup.

For example, you can easily make a vegan version, just replacing the chorizo and ham for more vegetables and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

If you have a hard time finding chorizo or Spanish sausage in your town you can change it for smoked sausage or more ham.

You can also play with different spices according to your preference, by adding turmeric, paprika, black pepper, etc.

Besides that, if you don’t want too much salt on your dish, you can replace the chicken stock with water, even though you will get a more loose consistency. In case you need to thicken your soup, you can add one tablespoon of flour or cornstarch.

There are other Spanish bean soup recipes, so you can also change the chickpea for white bean or any other of your choice.

There’s even a similar recipe for Spanish white bean soup, where the difference is the cooking time, and it also calls for more vegetables such as carrots and peppers.

Instead of chicken or meat stock, you can also go all natural by doing your own stock with a ham bone.

If you love hearty Spanish soups, you should have a look at our tasty Spanish lentil soup recipe, our healing Spanish garlic soup, or the rich Spanish chickpea soup recipe.

Tips on Serving the Spanish Bean Soup

As it commonly happens with soup in Spain, it is eaten as a main course for lunch or dinner. It is a classic dish for the cold winter days, even though you can enjoy it any time of the year.

This Spanish garbanzo bean soup is usually served alongside some crunchy bread, such as baguette, ciabatta, or the famous sourdough bread.

This dish goes well with any beverage, but when it comes to wine, the ideal one is white or red wine. Besides that you can eat it with a glass of water, so you’ll get to taste the flavor of the spices. 

If you love hot, hearty Spanish dishes, you may want to have a look at our “Poor Man Style” potatoes (patatas a lo pobre).

Tips on Storage the Spanish Bean Soup

The best part of this Spanish soup, which is among others a typical Seville food, is that you can store it for a long time. You might ask yourself: Can you freeze bean soup?

And thankfully the answer is yes! But there are some things that you have to know first.

If you want to freeze this Spanish bean soup, you’ll have to store it without the potatoes, which means that you can freeze the soup and once that you unfreeze it you can add the boiled potatoes.

Another thing you must know is that if you choose to thicken your soup with flour or cornstarch you won’t be able to freeze it, because it develops a weird taste. 

If you take those precautions then your soup can be frozen for up to one month, and it will still have the delicious flavor that it had the first day. In case you don’t want to freeze it, you can store it in the fridge for 1 to 3 days.

You can’t get enough of Spanish garbanzo soup? Have a look at my Spanish bean soup story here.

Related Recipes:

• Spanish Pea Soup
• Spanish Lentil Soup
• Spanish White Bean Soup
• Spanish Bread Soup
• Spanish Caldo Gallego Soup Recipe

Recipe Card: How to Make Spanish Bean Soup

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