Creamy Three Bean Stew (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken pinto beans? ›

After cooking, try mashing a small portion of the beans and stir them back into the whole beans. With re-fried beans almost all of the beans are mashed. If you don't want to smash any of the beans, you might stir in some small amounts of instant potato flakes until you reach the desired thickness.

In a separate bowl, dissolve a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or all-purpose flour in a small amount of cold water. Add the slurry to the bubbling soup. The soup should thicken up. Add more cornstarch or flour as needed until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

To thicken Cuban Black Beans, mash them! Mashing the beans can be done two different ways: Remove a cup (or a 1/3^rd) of the beans, mash them with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon or fork, and stir them back into the pot.

Bean stew is a hearty soup made with all sorts of vegetables, seasoned broth, and of course, white beans! It's chock full of amazing ingredients, and your body will thank you later for filling it up with such good and healthy things! White beans are a nutritional powerhouse and packed with good protein and fiber.

If you're looking for creamy, soft beans the trick to getting the creamiest results is by cooking them mostly covered. Recipes for whole, firm beans recommend simmering beans uncovered, which allows a portion of the heat to escape as vapor, reducing the cooking liquid while cooking the beans more slowly.

Add A Starch

You can give your soup more heft as well as a thicker texture by adding one of these starchy ingredients: Add a can of lentils or cannellini beans, mashing about half before you mix it in.

Our Everyday Life suggests that if you don't have cornstarch on hand, you can also use arrowroot or potato starch, as well as flour. But when using flour, be sure to simmer the beans for a little longer so the flour can break down and dissolve properly.

If your beans are still too watery after prolonged cooking and mashing, consider adding a thickener like cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or arrowroot. To do this, first, make a slurry of equal parts thickener and water, then slowly add it to your refried beans. They should thicken considerably.

You can also make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and about a cup or so of cool water, or some of the bean liquid. If you use the bean liquid, remove it first and set it aside to cool slightly.

Tips for Thickening the Soup

You can enjoy the black bean soup as is, but I like to thicken it up a little. Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender to puree a little bit of the soup. This gives it a thicker consistency, but don't blend it completely smooth! You want to still have whole black beans throughout.

How do you fix soupy beans? ›

Use Cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder

In a small bowl, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder with some cold water until it forms a smooth paste. Then, gradually add the mixture to your soup while stirring continuously.

Yes, Cuban black beans are very healthy for you! Black beans are a great source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. In addition to the health benefits of black beans, they are cooked with sofrito.

It adds complexity

Adding coffee to your recipes can add to the complexity of the flavour overall. Use coffee like a spice and try adding it to soups, stews and marinades to see how it can blend with other flavour profiles to create a more complex and delicious end result.

In general, most beans go well with herbs like parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. You usually can't go wrong with garlic and onions, either. Specific kinds of beans, like fava beans or mung beans, have other affinities with particular herbs and spices. This is not to say that other combinations won't work.

Overnight Soaking

To soak beans the traditional way, cover them with water by 2 inches, add 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon fine salt) per pound of beans, and let them soak for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

If your beans are still too watery after prolonged cooking and mashing, consider adding a thickener like cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or arrowroot. To do this, first, make a slurry of equal parts thickener and water, then slowly add it to your refried beans. They should thicken considerably.

Use starches to thicken beans

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.

Yes, you can use flour to thicken bean soup. Start by making a slurry with flour and cold water, then add it to the soup and stir well. Allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes to cook out any raw flour taste.

Bean dishes thicken as they cool and their seasonings continue to blend making for a better and tastier dish the next day. Reheat beans on a low fire and stir them often. Beans scorch easily over high heat. If the beans are too thick, simply add more liquid.