Rice and Bean Soup

Enjoy a hearty rice and bean soup recipe with brown rice, white beans, and lots of vegetables. It's a simple, warm, one-pot meal made with pantry ingredients, perfect for chili days. 

Our rice and bean soup combines basic, natural ingredients that we cook until they're just right. Brown rice adds a healthy touch, while white beans make it hearty. We toss in fresh green beans and zucchini to give it some crunch. And the leeks? They add a mild onion-like flavor that makes each bite tasty.

Soup is what I cook the most. I've cooked and eaten so many different soups that I cannot even keep count anymore.

From the usual ones like Polish chicken soup or German beef soup to red cabbage, freekeh soup, or rhubarb soup. Creamy soups, chunky soups, meaty ones, other with fish, grains, noodles, and so on.

Why will you love this bean and rice soup?

• Simple preparation: Requires minimal effort and just one pot, making it a great recipe for busy days.
• Versatile: You can customize it with your favorite veggies or use up leftover ingredients, reducing food waste.
• Economical: It uses pantry staples, helping you create a budget-friendly and satisfying meal, and it's also a great way of using leftover vegetables or cooked rice. 
• Nutritious: Packed with brown rice, white beans, and vegetables, this flavorful bean recipe is a wholesome meal loaded with essential nutrients.

Recipe ingredients

Most of the ingredients for this bean soup with rice are things one normally has in the pantry or freezer, so despite the long list; the zucchini is the only ingredient I might need to shop for (and not always).

• Rice: I recommend using regular brown rice due to its longer cooking time and heartier texture, which suits the dish better than plain white rice. 
  • This recipe is also an excellent way to use up leftover cooked rice, which tends to linger in the fridge. Simply add the cooked rice toward the end of the cooking process, allowing it to heat through thoroughly.
• Beans: Feel free to use canned or dried beans you've cooked yourself; the type doesn't matter much. I often opt for white beans, both small and large varieties, but kidney or pinto beans work wonderfully, too.
• Vegetables: Leeks, zucchini, green beans, and garlic cloves. But these are just suggestions; you could replace some of them or add bell peppers, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
• Stock: I usually use homemade chicken stock because I typically have it in the fridge or freezer. However, vegetable broth is perfect for a vegan or vegetarian option. If you prefer, you can even use bouillon cubes.
  • Homemade chicken broth or vegetable stock adds more flavor depth, but cubes also work well for a delicious soup.
• Other ingredients: Olive oil, lemon juice (or fresh lime juice), fine sea salt, and ground black pepper. 

How to make rice and bean soup?

• Sauté the chopped leeks in a large pot on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often (1). 
• Simmer: Add garlic, washed rice, and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes (2).
• Add chopped zucchini and drained beans and continue simmering for about 10 minutes or until the brown rice is cooked (3). 
• Adjust the taste with salt and lots of black pepper; be generous with the pepper. Add 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice to taste (4).

Good to know!

Make more bean soups: Beef and Bean Soup, Bone Broth Soup with Beans, or Bratwurst Soup.

Recipe FAQs

How to store and reheat?

• Refrigerate the leftovers once cool in an airtight container for about 3 days. I usually place the pot in the fridge, ensuring it’s completely cool before refrigerating and well-covered.
• Freeze leftover rice and bean soup for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.
• Reheat the rice and bean soup on the stovetop or microwave.

Rice and Beans Soup

Try this cozy rice and bean soup with brown rice, white beans, green beans, zucchini, and leeks. Perfect for chilly days!

4.67 from 6 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: German

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 441kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Large soup pot

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 9 oz leeks 250 g, Note 1
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves grated
• ▢ ½ cup brown rice 3.5 oz/ 100 g, Note 2
• ▢ 6 ½ cups chicken stock or vegetable broth, 1 ½ liter, Note 3
• ▢ 1 medium zucchini
• ▢ 1 can white beans drained
• ▢ 5.5 oz green beans frozen are okay, 150 g
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice to taste
• ▢ fine sea salt to taste
• ▢ lots of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Leeks: Clean and chop them. Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the leeks until softer and lightly colored, about 5 minutes.

  9 oz leeks / 250 g + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Add the grated garlic cloves and the washed rice. Stir well and add the stock.

  2 large garlic cloves + ½ cup brown rice / 100 g + 6 ½ cups chicken stock / 1½liter
• Simmer: Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and place the lid on the pot, leaving a crack open. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked.
• Zucchini and beans: In the meantime, halve the zucchini and slice the halves into half moons. Add them to the soup together with the drained white beans and green beans.

  1 medium zucchini + 1 can white beans + 5.5 oz green beans / 150 g
• Continue simmering for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked (Note 3).
• Adjust the taste with salt and very generously with freshly ground pepper, more than you would usually need; the soup must be peppery. Add a little lemon juice to taste and stir.

  1-2 teaspoon lemon juice + fine sea salt + lots of freshly ground black pepper

Notes

1. Leeks: About 1 medium leek, but leeks come in very different sizes, so it’s always a good idea to weigh them.
2. Rice: If you use leftover cooked rice, you will need more or less 2 ½ cups/ 300 g/ 10.5 oz of cooked rice. Add it with the zucchini and beans during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
3. Stock: Sub chicken stock with vegetable broth for a vegan soup. Bouillon cubes can be used as well.
4. Cooking time: I like the rice to be just slightly overcooked, allowing it to lose some shape and thicken the soup, making it heartier. But that is just my taste; cook the rice according to your taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the soup | Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 1163mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1442IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 6mg

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