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Butter Bean and Roasted Pepper Soup

Name: Butter Bean and Roasted Pepper Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 soup bowls with half the pepper-bean mixture and 40 g/1½ oz soft pita each
Ingredients: 240 g (8½ oz) canned ready-to-eat butter beans, drained and rinsed, divided into 180 g and 60 g portions; 180 g (6⅓ oz) drained ready-to-eat jarred roasted red peppers, finely chopped; 40 g (1½ oz) peeled onion, finely chopped; 3 g peeled garlic (about 1 small clove), minced; 5 ml olive oil (1 tsp); 350 ml (about 1½ US cups) ready-to-use lower-sodium vegetable stock, divided; 1 g smoked paprika (about ½ tsp); 0.3 g ground black pepper (about ⅛ tsp); 10 ml red-wine vinegar (2 tsp); 80 g (2¾ oz) soft pita bread, divided into two 40 g portions

2 soup bowls with half the pepper-bean mixture and 40 g/1½ oz soft pita each · Active 15 min · Cook 13 min · Total 30 min

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Jarred roasted peppers bring a flavor that the microwave is not expected to create. Their preparation is already done; drain them well, chop finely and heat them with canned butter beans. Mashing most of the beans makes the broth creamy without cream, while a reserved handful stays whole. Smoked paprika ties the pepper and bean together.

Jump to ingredients

Roasted pepper and butter bean soup with soft pita.

Drain for the formula, not the sink

The stated pepper weight is drained flesh. Oil-packed peppers should be drained thoroughly, and brine-packed peppers should not bring a cup of salty liquid into the bowl. The measured stock supplies the soup liquid. Use a product labeled ready to eat rather than an uncooked marinated vegetable.

Save a few whole beans

Set aside the stated 60 g of beans before the main heating stage. Mash the other 180 g into the hot pepper broth, then return the reserved beans and warm them through. The contrast makes a simple soup more interesting without needing a blender or a browned topping.

Ingredients

240 g (8½ oz) canned ready-to-eat butter beans, drained and rinsed, divided into 180 g and 60 g portions
180 g (6⅓ oz) drained ready-to-eat jarred roasted red peppers, finely chopped
40 g (1½ oz) peeled onion, finely chopped
3 g peeled garlic (about 1 small clove), minced
5 ml olive oil (1 tsp)
350 ml (about 1½ US cups) ready-to-use lower-sodium vegetable stock, divided
1 g smoked paprika (about ½ tsp)
0.3 g ground black pepper (about ⅛ tsp)
10 ml red-wine vinegar (2 tsp)
80 g (2¾ oz) soft pita bread, divided into two 40 g portions

Set out

1000 W microwave with turntable, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Knife and board, Spoon, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls, Microwave-safe bowl, at least 2 L/about 2⅛ US qt measured capacity, about 20 cm/8 in inside diameter and 9 cm/3½ in deep, Microwave-safe vented cover, Potato masher or sturdy fork, Can opener and sieve, Two side plates, Food thermometer for leftover reheating checks

Allergens

Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

Set aside the 60 g bean portion for later. Put the onion, garlic, oil and 15 ml/1 tbsp of the measured stock in the 2 L bowl. Cover with a vent and microwave at 1000 W full power for 3 minutes, stirring halfway, until the onion softens.
Add the 180 g beans, all the drained chopped peppers, remaining 335 ml stock, paprika and pepper. Stir, cover with a vent and heat at full power for 5–7 minutes, stopping after 3 and 5 minutes to stir. The mixture should become steaming hot with gentle bubbles.
Mash the hot beans in the cooking bowl until most have broken down. Keep the chopped peppers as small soft pieces. Stir in the reserved 60 g whole beans and all the vinegar. Cover with a vent and heat at full power for 2–3 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until the returned beans are hot throughout.
Stand covered for 2 minutes, stir and divide the complete soup equally between two bowls. Serve with the measured 40 g soft pita portion for each person. There is no extra toast or fried-bean garnish.

Prepared pepper is the shortcut

This recipe uses commercially roasted, ready-to-eat pepper flesh. Raw red pepper does not create the same flavor in the same heating interval.

Check the whole-bean finish

After returning the reserved beans, stir one from the center through the hot broth and allow the complete final stage. Do not let an apparently hot rim hide a cool middle.

Ingredient labels

Pita contains wheat/gluten and may contain sesame or milk. Check stock and jarred-pepper labels for celery, sulfites or other listed allergens.

A useful detail

The 30-minute plan allows 8 minutes of preparation, up to 13 minutes of sequential heating, 3 minutes for mashing, a 2-minute stand and 4 minutes to portion and serve. The starting ranges are for a 1000 W microwave; the last bean addition must heat fully rather than being treated as a cold garnish.

Another way

Use 240 g/8½ oz drained ready-to-eat cannellini beans instead of butter beans, keeping the 180 g mashed and 60 g whole allocations.
For a less smoky soup, replace smoked paprika with 1 g/about ½ tsp sweet paprika. Keep the roasted pepper quantity and measured vinegar unchanged.

Keep it well

Refrigerate shallow soup portions within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or colder. Use within 3 days or an earlier opened-pepper, bean or stock deadline. Store pita separately according to its label. Reheat under a vented cover in short bursts, stirring the thick base; stand 2 minutes and check for 165°F/74°C throughout before eating.