Spanish Green Bean Soup with Tomatoes and Garlic Recipe
A light vegetable soup inspired by home cooking from northern Spain, where green beans often go into the pot together with tomatoes and garlic. It’s a bit like a Polish vegetable soup, but with a distinct touch of olive oil and paprika. Perfect as a simple weekday lunch or dinner when you want something warm but not heavy.
This soup combines the homely comfort of classic vegetable soup with the sunny flavors of northern Spain: olive oil, sweet paprika and ripe tomatoes. It’s simple to make, uses basic ingredients and still tastes like something you could get in a small Spanish home kitchen.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality olive oil, because its flavor is clearly noticeable in such a simple soup. If your tomatoes are not very aromatic, you can add a spoonful of tomato paste to deepen the flavor. Don’t rush the onion at the beginning – gently sautéing it builds the base of the soup.
How to serve
Serve the soup very hot, with fresh bread or toasted rustic bread. You can sprinkle each portion with extra parsley or a pinch of smoked paprika. A small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top right before serving will give it a more Spanish character.
Ingredients
- green string beans - 400 g
- potatoes - 300 g
- tomatoes - 3 piece
- onion - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- vegetable stock - 1 l
- olive oil - 3 tablespoons
- sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon
- bay leaf - 2 piece
- salt
- black pepper
- parsley chopped - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Wash the green beans, trim the ends and cut into pieces about 3–4 cm long. Peel the potatoes and cut into medium cubes (about 1.5 cm). Score the tomatoes with a cross, pour boiling water over them for 1 minute, transfer to cold water, peel off the skins and dice.
- Peel the onion and finely chop it. Peel the garlic and chop it very finely or press it through a garlic press.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent but not browned.
- Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds, until it becomes very fragrant. Add the paprika, stir quickly and after 10–15 seconds pour in the stock so the paprika doesn’t burn.
- Add the potatoes, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes add the chopped green beans and tomatoes. Cook for another 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes and beans are tender but not falling apart.
- Finally, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stir and sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.
Storage
Zupę przechowuj w szczelnym pojemniku w lodówce i podgrzewaj do zagotowania. Możesz ją zamrozić do 2 miesięcy; po rozmrożeniu podgrzewaj na małym ogniu, aby warzywa się nie rozpadły.
