This hearty Caribbean inspired soup is just what you need on cold winter days! Made with red and black beans and collard greens, simmered in a coconut milk broth with lime juice and Jamaican spices, this meal-worthy soup is sure to warm you up.
As much as I love winter and I love snow, this year I’ve kind of had it with cold and flu season. I think I hit a personal record of being hit with three nasty bugs since fall, each of which wiped me pretty bad for the greater part of two weeks. And the last of my two illnesses were only spaced apart by about one week. UGH.
I’m still getting my energy back and getting over a cough from my last bout of sickness. It’s nice to be starting to feel better, but man, it’s really hard to get anything done when you’re sick!
So I’ve been a little behind on recipe development, partially because I’ve been so worn out, and partially because food just hasn’t been all that appealing to me lately.
This soup is kind of exactly what I need for times like this! For one thing, it’s easy. Perfect for low energy days. Also, it’s packed with beans and collards and nutritions stuff to make me feel better. Also, it’s got a nice little kick to clear the sinuses. And finally, the flavors make it perfect for daydreaming that I’m on a Caribbean beach somewhere, far away from the cold, and without a sniffle in sight!
How to Make Caribbean Bean Soup
You’ll start by cooking up some onion in a little bit of oil. Once the onion begins to soften up, add some spices, garlic, ginger, and a hot pepper. Caribbean recipes usually include a Scotch bonnet pepper, but I can never find these, so I substitute with a habanero.
Next, add some broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, and beans. Let everything simmer for bit, to allow the beans to soften up.
If you’d like your soup to be extra thick, you can blend up a small amount using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, if that’s how you roll). Totally optional, but really nice!
Finally, add the collards and let them simmer until they’re fully wilted.
Season the soup with salt, some lime juice, and brown sugar. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
FAQ & Tips for Making Simply Awesome Caribbean Bean Soup
- Is this soup super spicy? It should be relatively mild if you stick with one or two peppers. If you’re concerned about the heat level, just omit the peppers and substitute cayenne pepper to taste, which you can add along with the lime juice when the soup is done cooking.
- Be sure to wear gloves when handling hot peppers!
- Can I use coconut milk from a carton? You can, but the soup will probably end up lacking a bit in flavor and richness — most coconut milk sold in cartons is actually watered down or a blend of coconut milk and other non-dairy milks.
- Is this soup gluten-free? It is!
- Feel free to switch up the beans and greens. If all you have on hand is black or red beans, use them! If you’ve got a can of pinto beans or black-eyed peas, you can use them too! Kale or chard would work well as alternatives to the collards, if you prefer.
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Caribbean Bean Soup with Collard Greens
This hearty Caribbean inspired soup is just what you need on cold winter days! Made with red and black beans and collard greens, simmered in a coconut milk broth with lime juice and Jamaican spices, this meal-worthy soup is sure to warm you up.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, minced
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 (14 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 medium bunch of collard greens (about 1 pound), stems removed and torn into 1-2 inch pieces
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Give the oil a minute or two to heat up, then add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, and habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper, continue to cook for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Stir in the allspice, thyme, cinnamon and black pepper, and cook for a few seconds, then stir in the broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, red beans, and black beans.
Raise the heat and bring everything to a boil.
Lower the heat and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the beans soften up a bit.
At this point you can optionally blend a small amount of the soup with an immersion blender or a conventional blender, if you'd like it to be thicker.
Stir in the collard greens. You may need to add them a bit at a time, letting each addition wilt a bit before adding more.
Allow the soup to continue simmering for about 20 minutes, until the greens are soft and wilted.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lime juice and brown sugar. Season with salt to taste.
Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to wear gloves when handling hot peppers. It's up to you whether or not to include the seeds, just be aware that they will add a substantial amount of heat.
Alissa, this soup was PHENOMENAL!!!! OMGoodness, the flavor was so good, I could not stop eating it! I substituted habanero peppers (which are too hot for me) with poblano peppers, and it was awesome! I served it with homemade cornbread. My husband LOVED it as well. Thanks for the recipe! : )
This soup was EXCELLENT!!! I am growing collards and always looking for new ways to cook them. Instead of Habanero, I used two jalapenos, one seeded and the other not. Otherwise, didn’t make any other switch. I really LOVE this soup and want to cook up a big batch, portion it out and freeze it for the Winter months. Thank you…..”we’re sharin’ the same dream!”
Hahaha! Glad somebody found my Billy Ocean reference funny! And I’m SO glad you enjoyed the soup! Sounds nice and spicy with the jalapeno seeds. :) Thanks Teri!
Hello WE LOVE YOUR RECIPES! That includes a hubby who is somewhat reluctantly switching from the SAD diet to plant based.
I’m sorry to hear about your illness struggles. We keep a top quality (E.O.) oregano oil on hand mixed with a top quality olive oil, 4 olive oil to 1 oregano oil. We put it in a brown dropper bottle and take 5 drops under our tongue 3 times a day until the symptoms are gone. It must be takes asap as soon as you might think you are developing symptoms. This was our main go to and it worked wonderfully.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! And thank you for the tips! So funny – I just learned about oregano oil the other day and I’ll give it a try next time I start to feel like I’m coming down with something – hopefully not for a long time. :)
This soup is amazing. Very hearty and flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you like it!!
Fellow cooks, no need to wait for chilly weather for this delicious stew/soup. It was outstanding served on a sunny patio in Florida with lime wedges and rum drinks. As another suggested, I served with cornbread (Johnny cakes).
My version was made with kale and the addition of a carrot from the crisper. Awesome!!
Alissa, your recipes are winners. Thank you so much!
Thanks so much Mimi! I’m glad you like it! Kale and carrots sound like delicious additions.
Yummmmm. This is one of my favorite soups. So so good. Thank you! We usually eat our beans Latin style so it was nice to have a different blend of flavors with them.
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks Stephanie!
Habanero is the Spanish name for Scotch Bonnet, so you’ve been doing it right the whole time ; )
Ah! Well that makes sense! Thanks for sharing!