Spanish Red Pepper and White Bean Soup

This vibrant red pepper and white bean soup is a comforting and flavourful dish that is both hearty and nourishing. It is an aromatic Spanish soup recipe that combines the sweetness of red bell peppers with the creamy richness of white beans. Serve with crunchy bread for a wholesome lunch or light dinner full of delicious flavors.

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Red bell pepper soup with white beans

Spanish cuisine is known for its extensive use of legumes, making white beans (or alubias blancas) a common ingredient. Often used in stews or soups, both dried and canned beans are readily available in Spain.  For this recipe, I opted for canned beans for convenience, but you can certainly start with dried beans if you prefer.

Known in Spanish as ‘sopa de alubias blancas y pimientos rojos‘, this soup is made with sweet bell peppers, rich white beans (or alubias blancas), and a touch of smoked paprika, which gives a characteristic smoky flavor to the dish.

For making this soup, use alubias blancas for a more traditional Spanish version or opt for the more widely available cannellini beans to make it more like a Spanish cannellini bean soup. Cannellini beans are slightly larger than alubias blancas and have a mildly nutty flavor.

Which ingredients to use

• Bell peppers: Red bell peppers add a subtle sweetness to this soup in contrast to the nutty and creamy white beans. This soup can also be made with yellow or orange bell peppers or a combination of colours.
• White beans: As a shortcut I use canned white beans or cannellini beans. The beans don’t really need to be drained as the juices add flavor and make the soup more creamy. Even a can of baked beans in tomato sauce is great in this soup if that’s what you have at home.
• Onion and garlic: The flavor base of this soup. Use at least 3 cloves of garlic for some extra punch.
• Broth: Use vegetable broth to keep the soup vegetarian or use chicken broth as an alternative.
• Olive oil: Use a splash of olive oil to sauté the vegetables and to keep the flavours traditional Spanish.
• Seasoning: Apart from salt and pepper, this recipe calls for paprika powder. I add both sweet paprika for a mild taste and smoked paprika (or pimentón) for a lovely smoky flavor. As for herbs I add dried thyme, but feel free to use other herbs like oregano or basil. As garnish I use fresh parsley for its vibrant colour and crispy texture.

How to make white bean soup with peppers

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post

• Cut the vegetables: Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Core, seed and roughly chop the red peppers.
• Sauté the vegetables: Build the flavour by sweating the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add the onions and sauté until softened and fragrant. Add the bell peppers and garlic and sauté until lightly caramelized. This will take about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally.
• Cook spices: Add the smoked paprika, sweet paprika and thyme and cook for another minute.
• Simmer the soup: Pour the vegetable broth in the pot and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
• Add the beans: Then stir in the beans and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and tender.
• Purée the soup: Remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion or stick blender to mix the soup in the pot until smooth. Or transfer the soup to a table top blender or food processor and blend until velvety smooth. If the consistency of the soup is too thick, add more water or stock and blend again.
• Season and serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup warm and add fresh parsley as garnish.

Useful tips to make the best pepper and bean soup

• Peel the bell peppers or not: Some people find bell pepper skins difficult to digest. In that case, I recommend peeling the peppers in advance. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin before chopping. Personally, I usually skip this step, as the skin softens during cooking and blends smoothly afterward.
• Make the soup in advance: This soup lends itself great to prepare in advance as the flavours will have time to meld together which will enhance the overall taste of the soup.
• Thicken the soup: When making this soup in advance, the starches from the beans will naturally thicken the soup. You might have to add more water or broth when reheating as it might become too thick after storing.
• Extra flavour and seasoning: Add a bit of cayenne pepper for extra spiciness, or a splash of lemon to brighten the flavour and to balance the richness of the beans. Instead of fresh parsley, add fresh basil for a more aromatic touch.

How to store

As this red pepper and white bean soup is great to make ahead, or if having any unintended leftovers, you can store in the fridge or freezer for later use.

• In the fridge: After cooking and blending, allow to cool to room temperature and store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
• In the freezer: Allow to cool to room temperature and store in smaller portions in airtight bags or freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
• To reheat: Reheat the soup in the microwave oven or in a pan on the stove top on low heat.

More Spanish soup recipes to try

• Spanish lentil and chorizo soup
• Tomato and watermelon gazpacho
• Salmorejo or chilled tomato soup
• Spanish gazpacho soup
• Cold cucumber gazpacho

Did you make this recipe?  I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #discoverspaintoday and tag me on Instagram or Facebook