Budget Portuguese Bean Soup
A local Hawaii favorite that's great any time of year, especially with a scoop of rice and mac salad!
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 5-quart pot
- 1 tongs
Ingredients
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 8 cups water
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 medium carrots chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 celery ribs chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 8 cups water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 large russet potato chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 5 ounces Portuguese sausage chopped
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup macaroni uncooked
- ½ large cabbage chopped or sliced (about 4 ½ cups)
Instructions
- Put the ham hock and water in the pot and bring to a boil. Boil for at least 1 hour. (This is a great time to clean and prep your remaining ingredients.)
- Remove the ham hock with the tongs, placing it on the side to cool. Add the onions, carrot, celery, water, salt, potato, Portuguese sausage, and tomato sauce to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender.
- Cut off any meat on the ham hock and dice into pieces.
- Add kidney beans, macaroni, black pepper, and ham pieces to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the cabbage to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes until the macaroni is cooked through.
- Serve as a side dish or as a main dish with a scoop of rice. If you have mac salad then you have a plate lunch! Also tastes great with a roll or slice of toasted sourdough bread.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
I can’t find smoked ham hocks. What to do?
Smoked ham shanks are a great substitute for smoked ham hocks. You’ll get a lot more meat off of the bone and will make a heartier soup.
What if we don’t like kidney beans?
You can use pinto, cannellini, or navy beans in place of kidney beans. If you really can’t stomach the thought of beans at all (don’t feel bad, we all have our likes and dislikes), just leave them out.
Are both potatoes and macaroni noodles crucial to the recipe?
No, you can omit one or both. Traditionally, you would see both in Portuguese Bean Soup to help stretch out the meal, especially for large families. If you prefer to eat your soup with rice (lots of us do!), then you might want to use just potatoes or just macaroni.
For those of us who love both in our soup and love to eat it with rice, it tastes so much better with 10 to 12 ounces of Portuguese sausage and a ham shank. That way you can get all 3 carbs in one bite! Absolutely comforting yet healthy with all the veggies!