Steph here – Another fabulous little recipe from Erin. I’m especially excited to try this one!
I love this soup. I love everything from the flavor and spice to the how colorful it looks in the pot or your bowl. It is just delicious. This soup is one of the first recipes that became a cool to colder weather times staple when my husband and I started eat less meat and white flour and more whole grains, veggies, and beans.
Both the soup and the dumplings come together with great ease. For the soup simply do your chopping and then start dumping your ingredients in, bring to boil and reduce to simmer until done. I’ve used both fresh onion, and I’ve also pulled some from the freezer.
With the beans you can cut the cost of the soup by preparing your own and replacing the 15 ounce can with a little less than two cups, but if you don’t have some already prepared and or you want this flavorful soup tonight, just start by rinsing of those canned beans and dumping them in.
Using your own broth or stock instead of water and bouillon will also land you with a more affordable soup without sacrificing the flavor.
As for the cornmeal dumplings, I don’t make them every time I make the soup, but it does kind of dress up the soup a bit and make it more of a meal all by itself. Plus they are super easy when you do have the time.
Enjoy! Nathan and I sure do. 
Southwestern Bean Soup
Serves 5-6
INGREDIENTS
For the Soup:
- 3 cups of water
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans
- 15 ounce can black beans
- 14.5 ounce can Mexican stewed tomatoes
- 4 ounce can diced green chili peppers
- 10 ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons bouillon (If you choose not to use bouillon just make sure you use 3 cups of stock instead of water at the beginning. I’ve done both and the soup is always good)
- 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
For the Dumplings:
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- dash of salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
DIRECTIONS
For the Soup:
- In 4-quart Dutch oven, combine beans, tomato, corn, carrot, onion, chili peppers, bouillon, chili powder, and garlic
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then cover, simmering for 10 minutes
For the Dumplings:
- In mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients
- In another bowl, combine wet ingredients
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture; stir with fork just until combined
- Drop dumplings into six mounds on top of the bubbling soup
- Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- Do not lift lid while dumplings are cooking
The corn meal dumplings are harder to do with a larger group, but when my family is over and no one wants to cook I make this soup. I usually have what I need around and if I don’t it is easy enough – although more expensive – to pick up cans of what you need at the store.
A little about Erin:
I am a crafty stay-at-home wife and helpmeet to my smart and sexy geek husband, Nathan. I am also the first born child to my military cook of a father and my earth loving, librarian mother. While I don’t think I can say I grew up in the kitchen I think I came pretty close. As soon as I was capable of of doing something safely my parents would encourage me to help. A lot of the confidence I have and the sense of adventure I enjoy in the kitchen has been developed my entire life, and both serve me well as a young wife trying to cook meals that are both healthful and budget savvy.
While my husband and I struggle with calling ourselves vegetarians we do eat very little meat and lots and lots of vegetables so when it gets cold and soup season arrives at our door the standard chili and chicken noodle soup recipes aren’t going to fly in our house.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you have any soup recipes that use dumplings on top?
5 comments
2 pings
Susie Bee on Maui
03/01/2011 at 10:14 AM (UTC -6)
I’m not a fan of dumplings in general but the cornmeal ones you made sound much more interesting.
Mary
03/08/2011 at 1:51 PM (UTC -6)
I have used a recipe just like this one for several years, and our family loves it. To make prep even easier, I will pressure can a huge batch of the base ingredients when lots of garden fresh corn, tomatoes, and chilies are on hand. Then it’s simply a matter of heating the pot and stiring up the dumplings. Delicious!
Steph
03/08/2011 at 4:14 PM (UTC -6)
Mary – What a great idea for a quick homemade meal! People with pressure cookers, take note….
Melissa
03/08/2011 at 2:53 PM (UTC -6)
I made this soup with the dumplings last week and my husband and I LOVED it. Did have to add some salt a pepper to it though. It is going in the recipie book!
Steph
03/08/2011 at 3:56 PM (UTC -6)
Melissa – Glad to hear it! Thanks for letting us know what you all thought of this dish!
The Cheapskate Cook » Series Round-Up: Frugal Soups & Stews
03/10/2011 at 2:31 PM (UTC -6)
[...] Southwestern Bean Soup – from [...]
A Phillipsology » Blog Archive » Week 4 – Mar 22-28
03/27/2011 at 8:53 AM (UTC -6)
[...] F – Roast with potatoes and onions, salad (the roast is grandmas meat. Yum!) Sa – Southwestern Black Bean Soup Su – Leftovers M – Chicken Vegetable Soup (made some previously and froze [...]