This is a traditional German green bean soup, made from fresh beans, potatoes, carrots, bacon and smoked sausages. This is a recipe I like to make when I am short of time but want a comforting meal full of vitamins.
This green bean and sausage soup tastes especially good in late summer or autumn when you can harvest fresh green beans from your garden. Although one of the advantages of this stew is that it also tastes good with canned or frozen beans.
This soup uses frugal ingredients, is low in calories but nutritous. No wonder it has a long history in German cooking.
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What is German Green Bean Soup?
German green bean soup is a hearty stew where green beans are the star ingredient. The soup is flavoured with bacon and smoked sausages, which give the dish a slightly salty taste.
In German this dish is called "Grüne Bohnen Suppe" or "Grüne Bohnen Eintopf". "Grüne" is the German word for "Green" and "Bohnen" the word for Bean. "Suppe" means soup in German but another term often used to describe this dish is "Eintopf" was translates as "One-Pot". It is used to describe hearty stews such as German Lentil Soup (Linseneintopf) or German Pea Soup (Erbseneintopf).
How to cook Green Bean Soup?
Ingredients:
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz smoked bacon
- 1 onion about 120 g / 4.2 oz
- 350 g/12 oz carrots (about 4 carrots)
- 300 g/10 oz potatoes (about 4 potatoes)
- 1 ltr/33 fl oz or 4.2 cups beef or chicken broth/stock
- 2 smoked German sauasges for example Mettwurst (affiliate link) or you can substitute with Polish sausages such as Krakauer (affiliate link) or Kabanossi
- 500 g/17.5 oz green beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp summer savory, if not available substitute with ¼ teaspoon sage and ½ teaspoon thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Recipe - Step by Step
- Peel the carrots and potatoes. Roughly cube the bacon, onion, carrots and potatoes. Wash the beans and chop of the ends on both sides. Slice into bite sized pieces. Slice the sausages.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon and onions until they start to brown.
- Briefly add in the carrots and potatoes and fry for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the meat broth/stock and bring the soup to boil for around 10 minutes.
- Add the green beans and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Season with summer savoury (or substitute with thyme and sage). Add salt and pepper to taste, but remember that there will be salt from the meat
- Serve with a slice of rye bread or a crusty roll.
Bohnenkraut - Seasoning for Green Beans
The most popular seasoning for Green beans in Germany is Bohnenkraut. Bohnenkraut is called summer savory in English. It is an annual herb with a spicy, pungent peppery flavour.
An alternative for bohnenkraut is a sage and thyme mixture. For this recipe, I tested replacing bohnenkraut with a mix of sage and thyme, which in my opinion produced a similar taste. See the instructions for the ratio.
In the UK and USA, they are not commonly available in the supermarkets but they are a fuss-free and easy herb to grow in your garden. (affiliate links)
How to Serve
Serve this soup with a side of rye bread or a crusty roll. This light summer stew goes well with a fruity white wine.
Storage Instructions
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Store in an airtight container. To reheat, simply bring the soup up to boil. Please be aware that the beans will get softer every time you reheat the soup.
This soup is perfect for freezing. Store in portions and the soup will stay good for up to three months.
More German Soup Recipes
- German Potato Soup
- White Asparagus Soup
- Swede and Carrot Soup
- German Goulash Soup
- Spinach and Pea Soup with Mint
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe
Fresh German Green Bean Soup - (Grüne Bohnen Eintopf)
Ingredients
- 100 g smoked bacon 3.5 oz
- 1 onion about 120 g / 4.2 oz
- 350 g carrots 12 oz (about 4 carrots)
- 300 g potatoes 10 oz (about 4 potatoes)
- 1 ltr beef or chicken broth/Stock 33 fl oz or 4.2 cups
- 2 smoked German sauasges for example Mettwurst or you can substitute with Polish sausages such as Krakauer or Kabanossi
- 500 g green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon summer savory if not available substitute with ¼ teaspoon sage and ½ teaspoon thyme.
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roughly cube the bacon, onion, carrots and potatoes. Wash the beans and chop of the ends on both sides. Slice into bite site length.
- Slice the sausages.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the bacon and onions until they start to brown.
- Pour in the meat broth and add the potatoes and carrots. Bring to boil for around 10 minutes.
- Add the green beans and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Season with summer savory or subsitute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with a rye bread or a crusty roll.
My stomach is growling, I need to eat this soon. I cannot understand the power and the meaning of food, until I understand how amazing dish is.
It is intriguing as I never had beans soup before, but looks and sounds hearty and just perfect for a cold winter night.
this is a warm and filling soup I can add vegan sausage or skip it and still enjoy this.
What a hearty soup! My partner would love it with Kabanossi; I'm sure he'll ask for it if I mention soup for tonight's dinner! Thanks for an easy recipe and the idea; I won't have to search for inspiration!