Rustic Rancho Gordo ‘Yellow Eye’ Bean Soup
Updated December 10, 2025
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE BEANS
3 cups yellow eye or yellow Indian woman beans, soaked 4 to 6 hours (see note)
1 carrot, peeled
2 ribs celery, halved
1 onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved across the equator
Stems from 1 bunch Italian parsley, tied in a cheesecloth sachet
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE SOUP
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
5 ribs celery, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, diced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and finely grated
1 ½ teaspoons red chili flakes, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
Rustic bread, sliced
1 clove garlic, halved
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
61 grams carbs; 438 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 15 grams fiber; 544 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
FOR THE BEANS
- Step 1
Prepare the beans: Drain the beans and place them in a large pot. Add 3 quarts cold water, the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and parsley stem sachet. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the beans are soft and creamy, but not falling apart. (Start checking after 25 minutes; the fresher the beans, the shorter the cooking time.) Add the salt, pepper and olive oil. Discard the sachet and vegetables. Let the beans cool in the liquid.
- Step 2
Prepare the soup: Pour the olive oil into a large pot set over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, chili and rosemary. Cook until the rawness of the vegetables is just gone, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly caramelized, about 3 minutes more. Add the beans and their cooking liquid, bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the parsley. Toast the bread slices. While still hot, rub them with the garlic halves, then tear into large pieces. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a few toasts, then drizzle with olive oil.
Rancho Gordo beans are available at ranchogordo.com and Marlow & Daughters in Brooklyn.
Private Notes
Comments
The soup is delicious, but there may be a typo in the ingredients. Two tablespoons of salt makes it much too salty. Try two teaspoons.
In the beans part of the recipe, doesn't the head of garlic "halved across the equator" leave its papery peels in the beans?
I liked the sound of kimchi and made this soup à la Andrew -- can't recommend it enough.
Liked it a lot - a little too much oil a little too much salt. Might add a parmesan rind for more depth next time. Eating it for breakfast today - yum! Made it with Rancho Gordo yellow eye beans - seems like it would work with any smallish bean. Putting it in the rotation.
Made a few changes. First, it didn’t have the depth I wanted (seemed one note), so added doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) to add some extra umami. Secondly I drizzled olive oil over the bread, toasted it, and rubbed it with garlic while it was still warm. Husband wanted more heat so he added extra red pepper flakes to his. We squeezed some lemon juice at the end; felt like it needed acid. We agreed: total keeper! Only change I will make next time is less rosemary.
This soup turned out creamy and delicious. Followed the recipe and loved it! Perfect for the big snowstorm coming. Will make it again.