Spicy Bean Soup – Comfort at its best!

The temp has been dropping constantly over the past week and we are almost in the 20s…brrrr...the thought of going out makes me shudder! Nothing like sitting indoors, warm and cosy, curled up on the couch with a hot bowl of hearty, spicy, chunky soup. This one is sure to warm you up from within.

You will need:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup chili powder (yeah, this is where the spice is!!)
1 tbsp Corriander powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried crushed red pepper, optional
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juices
1 (11.5 oz) can tomato juice
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
8 cups vegetable broth
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dried green lentils
2 zucchini, cubed
2 yellow squash, cubed
Salt to taste

Before you start, a note on the Chili powder : I bought the chili powder from a store here, because it’s a lot milder. We sure can’t use ½ cup of Indian chili powder, that would be too much to take!! So don't freak out with the quantity of chili powder mentioned above :-D

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste, and 2 tsp of salt. Add the broth, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and lentils. Stir in the zucchini and yellow squash. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Season the soup to taste with more salt, if desired.

This makes a whole lot of soup, so unless you have company or a large family, I would suggest halving the recipe.

Fire up your taste buds!

Spicy Bean Soup is my entry to "Fresh Produce of the Month : Squash" hosted by Marta of An Italian in the US.