If you’re craving something light, buttery, and full of vegetables, stir up this easy stovetop green bean soup recipe!

Nutritious and Easy Green Bean Soup

Before I step out of the garden – especially when the temperature begins to drop – I make sure to grab all the ingredients needed to make our favorite soup: a bucket of green beans (nothing beats fresh beans!), an onion, a couple of carrots, and then head inside to start the process!

When it comes to easy and healthy soups this one is a hit! This creamy green bean soup is a recipe that my grandpa loved and his love for it has passed onto our family! It can be used for a side dish, a light lunch, or a main meal, and provides a great flavor with only 8 ingredients!

I have found that making soups are a great way to get our kiddos the veggies we want them to have. Chopping them up in small sizes also is one of my tricks. It’s much easier and less frustrating for them to keep the veggies on their spoons when they are a bite sized.

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After a big garden season, I love to chop up all of our leftover green beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, squash and pumpkin and freeze them up for wintertime. This is a quick and easy way to make the fresh garden season veggies last all winter.

Ingredients to make Green Bean Soup

• 2 Cups Chopped Fresh Green Beans (fresh is much preferred over canned green beans!)
• 1 Small Chopped Onion
• 2 Chopped Carrots
• 2 Stalks of Chopped Celery
• 6-8 Cups Water
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 2-4 Tbsp Watkins Chicken Soup Base
• 1 Can Evaporated Milk

To cook, you will use a large pot or dutch oven that can be set on a stove top. We like to make lots of soups and an occasional roast or chicken, and use this dutch oven (pictured below) on a weekly basis.

Steps to make Green Bean Soup

1. Wash the green beans, take off the ends and cut up into 1/2 to one inch pieces. Cut enough to fill 2 cups of beans.

2. Chop up 1 small onion, 2 carrots and a couple of stalks of celery

3. Toss all of the chopped up green beans, carrots, celery, and onions into your soup pot (a large pot or a dutch oven – This is what we use) with 6-8 cups of water. Add salt, pepper, and butter.

4. Before you place the ingredients on the stove, you can add in our secret ingredient Watkins Chicken Soup Base 😉 I use Watkins Chicken Soup base in practically everything. Toss it in soups, sprinkled on top of the chicken before baking, casseroles, gravy, etc. Just make sure to buy more than one at a time. I always seem to run out just as I’m in soup-making mode. For comparison, this chicken soup base is less concentrated than a Bouillon Cube and thicker than chicken stock / chicken broth.

4. Bring the pot to a boil and let simmer over medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes

5. After the 15 – 20 minutes is over, stir the ingredients. For small pieces, you can take this time to re-chop the vegetables in the soup as they will now be a lot softer!

6. Keep the pot on the same heat and add in 1 can of evaporated milk and stir

Optional Step: Adding a Roux: After adding in the evaporated milk you can make a roux to thicken up the soup. To do this, put 3 tablespoons of flour into a bowl along with a couple spoonfuls of the hot, soup broth. Whisk until combined (it will have a paste like texture) and then whisk it back into your soup.

7. Add in some more pepper (and salt if you wish) and that’s it!

8. Serve with soda crackers and butter, fresh bread, OR an amazing Spanish Bocadillo to make it a complete meal! (watch the video below to learn how to make this)!

How to make Green Bean Soup (plus a Spanish Bocadillo) Video!

Questions people are asking about Green Bean Soup

What is green bean soup for? There are a multitude of health benefits in green bean soup! First, green beans help fight inflammation in the body and are known to help sore throats. They are also a good source of folate and potassium (helps regulate blood pressure), and protein and fiber (helps lower cholesterol). Fiber – which can aid in stomach issues – is also present, plus, this delicious soup packs in the Vitamin C!

What are the different variations of green bean soup? Green Bean Soup looks different in different cultures and different parts of the world. Chinese green bean soup is a dessert that consists of mung beans, rock sugar (sometimes brown sugar), and salt. It can also include pumpkin and kelp among other ingredients. If you are looking for sweet soups, this is the one! In the Malaysian and Filipino cultures, they also have this dish as a dessert with ingredients including coconut milk.

Can green bean soup be kept overnight? Absolutely! Green bean soup is good for 3 – 5 days in the fridge. If you are opting to freeze your soup, a general rule of thumb is to keep it for no longer than 2 to 3 months.

Other Soups with Green Beans Green Beans are a healthy and versatile vegetable that can be used in many great recipes! Here is some inspiration: – Cream of Green Bean Soup (A similar recipe but with more spices and whipping cream) – Potato, Green Bean, and Bacon Soup (A hearty soup with more protein that still incorporates green beans!) – Ham and Green Bean Soup (A similar recipe but with ham!)

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You can also check out how to make Bone Broth: Instant Pot Bone Broth

Enjoy!