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Spanish Bean Soup (Garbanzo Bean Soup) takes you on a trip to Tampa Bay, where Cuban heritage is so alive & full of flavor. This simple soup is made with garbanzo beans, potatoes & savory sausage and is just bursting with deliciousness!
This soup is a staple in the Tampa Bay Area. The Cuban heritage here brings with it such wonderful food. I am a very lucky girl to live here. We have such diverse cuisine, and I get to enjoy and share it all with you!
Now let me say, y’all, this is my version of this soup. (This is my disclaimer for all the die-hards -lol) Some people use Chorizo and ham, and it is wonderful like that, but I came up with a little spin on it. Actually, I should give my mom some credit. She made it similar to this; I just adapted it a bit. I let this cook in the Crock Pot all day, mom made hers on the stove top. It can totally be done that way as well. My family and friends just love it and request it often. So, I hope you will, too!
A little background on my Version of Spanish Bean Soup recipe
We started out making this soup from a Dixie Lilly bag mix (shhh, don’t tell anyone), but found it hard to find at one time and came up with my own recipe. I must say I am so glad I did! This recipe is so much better. It’s such a savory, heartwarming bowl of Cuban vivaciousness! Are you dancing yet!!
Oh, you mustn’t forget some warm Cuban bread to dip in it! An authentic Cuban sandwich is perfect with this! YUMMMM!!! It just completes it!
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How to Make Spanish Bean Soup (Garbanzo Bean Soup)
Preparing the Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Start by rinsing the beans to remove any debris, bad beans, or rocks. Add to a large bowl, then cover them with water and add salt. Let them soak overnight to soften.
Once soaked, drain the beans, and they’re ready to use.
TIP: If you forgot to soak them, no worries! Bring the beans to a boil on the stovetop, then reduce to a high simmer for about 30 minutes.
Slow Cooker Instructions
For a hands-off approach, grab your crockpot.
Step 1. Add the beans, cubed potatoes, chicken broth, sliced sausage, garlic, black pepper, and Vigo seasoning packets to the insert. Give everything a good stir. pop the lid on, and let it cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. As the soup simmers, it may thicken, so check occasionally and add water or extra broth to keep it just the way you like.
Step 2. Pop the lid on, and let it cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
Step 3. As the soup simmers, it may thicken, so check occasionally and add water or extra broth to keep it just the way you like.
Stovetop Instructions
Step 1: Grab a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the beans, potatoes, broth, sausage, garlic, pepper, and Vigo seasoning. Stir everything together until well combined.
Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Let the soup cook for 2 to 3 hours (or more, if you like), stirring occasionally to keep everything from sticking.
Step 3: As the beans absorb the liquid, check the consistency. Add water or extra broth as needed to keep the soup as thick or brothy as you like it!
Recipe Tips
- Taste as You Cook: I always taste soup (an hour or so before it is done) and add any additional salt, pepper, or garlic, as needed, to taste.
- Keep an Eye on the Liquid: Whether you’re cooking on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, the beans will soak up liquid as they cook. Keep extra water or broth handy to maintain the perfect consistency.
- For a Thicker Consistency: As the soup simmers, the beans and potatoes naturally break down, giving it a thicker, heartier texture. For even more creaminess, just scoop out a portion of the beans, mash them, and stir them back into the pot.
- Leftovers Are Even Better: Like most soups, the flavors deepen and meld overnight. Store any leftovers in the fridge for an even tastier meal the next day! The soup will thicken, so feel free to add more water or broth if you like.
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Spanish Bean Soup (Garbanzo Bean Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag of dried garbanzo beans
- 3 cups water , to soak
- 1 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 packages beef smoked sausage , sliced and cut into 4 or 6 pieces, (2 – 12 to 16-ounce packages – varies by brand)
- 3 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes (about 1/2 inch or to your liking)
- 64 ounces chicken broth, (8 cups)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)
- 3 packets Vigo Flavoring & Coloring Seasoning , (3 – .035 ounce envelopes)
- 2 cups water, (or as needed as liquid cooks down in soup, you can also substitute with chicken broth)
Instructions
Prepare Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
- Rinse beans, cover with water, and add salt. Soak overnight. Drain the beans. *See note for my original recipe that uses the liquid.If you forget this step, bring the beans to a boil on the stovetop and reduce to a high simmer for 1/2 hour.1 lb bag of dried garbanzo beans, 3 cups water, 1 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Stovetop Instructions
- To a dutch oven or large soup pot, add beans, cubed potatoes, chicken broth or stock, sausage, garlic powder (or minced garlic), pepper, and Vigo flavoring packets. Stir to combine.1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3 packets Vigo Flavoring & Coloring Seasoning, 3 pounds red potatoes, 2 packages beef smoked sausage, 64 ounces chicken broth
- Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low for 2 to 3 hours (or more).
- Add water (or more broth) as needed as the liquid is absorbed.2 cups water
Slow Cooker Instructions
- To the crockpot insert, add beans, cubed potatoes, chicken broth or stock, sausage, garlic powder (or minced garlic), pepper, and Vigo flavoring packets. Stir to combine.2 packages beef smoked sausage, 3 pounds red potatoes, 64 ounces chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3 packets Vigo Flavoring & Coloring Seasoning
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4- 5 hours.
- Add water (or more broth) as needed as the liquid is absorbed.2 cups water
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Notes
-
- Taste as You Cook: About an hour before the soup is done, take a moment to taste it and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or garlic if needed to suit your taste. Remember, the type of broth you use will impact how much salt is necessary, so adjust to your taste!
-
- Keep an Eye on the Liquid: Whether you’re cooking on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, the beans will soak up liquid as they cook. Keep extra water or broth handy to add if needed.
-
- For a Thicker Consistency: As the soup simmers, the beans and potatoes naturally break down, giving it a thicker, heartier texture. For even more creaminess, just scoop out a portion of the beans, mash them, and stir them back into the pot.
- Leftovers Are Even Better: Like most soups, the flavors deepen and meld overnight. Store any leftovers in the fridge for an even tastier meal the next day! The soup will thicken, so feel free to add more water or broth if you like.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
©️Soulfully Made
I can’t wait to try this! Can it be frozen or do the bens and potatoes get too mushy? Thanks!
You can freeze this soup well.
On the smoked saugage what size is the packages 12 or 16 oz?
Thanks
They used to mostly all be 16 oz now they are smaller sometimes. You can use either. I would go with 16 if you can because we like it meatier, but they both work well.
Very authentic, just needs some Cuban bread from Alessi Bakery.
Thank you, Paul! I agree there isn’t anything like having fresh Cuban bread to go along with it!
Agree, good authentic cuban bread goes perfect with this recipe ?
I live in Tampa and always order this soup when we go to La Teresita. I am so excited to try your recipe.
Laurie, I hope you love it!
One of the best recipes I have now thanks to Nikki. I ordered this soup at Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City fifty years ago on my birthday and am thrilled to be able to make this soup. My son has requested this for his birthday coming up and that will be the fifth time I have made it! I make it exactly as the recipe.
Nikki, thank you for meeting up with a milestone in my life! You are excellent at what you do!
Thank you so much, Deborah! This has made my day. It is such a tradition at our house and glad to know it is part of yours as well! Happy birthday to your son! My son always requests this soup as well!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am also from the Tampa area and looked everywhere for a dup recipe of our famous Spanish restaurants. I did this the crockpot method with the ingredients you listed. I drained the beans and then added 6 cups of water along with the 32oz of chicken stock. After 8 hours a lot of the liquid was soaked up by the beans and red potatoes so I actually added another 32oz of chicken stock at the 8hr mark to give it more soup broth. Absolutely delicious! Just curious if yours soaks up a lot of liquid too and if you end up adding more water/stock after it’s cooked for awhile ?
Thank you, Phoebe. Sometimes I do have to add a little water or broth and others more. I think so many factors can contribute, like the slow cooker heat, the beans, and the water content in the potatoes. I am so glad you enjoyed it! My family has been asking me to make again soon. So it’s on my menu for this week.
THE best soup!! Make as directed!! Huge hit at parties here in the Tampabay area! It’s a winner with the Texas family, too!?
Thank you, Kat! So very glad to hear you and your family enjoyed it! We are making it this year for our Christmas Eve celebration!
This looks good. Just wondering on the sausage or other meat. Two packages of sausage could vary based on the package. Can you provide an approximate weight?
Thanks
It can vary but usually 12-16 ounces per package. The ones I buy are now 12 ounces. They used to be packaged at 16 ounces.
LOVE This! A friend from Plant City (who now lives in D.C.) wrote me recently asking for the recipe for the Spanish Bean Soup I often made in college. I had to admit it was, shhhh!, that awesome Dixie Lily mix mom always used. Reading your recipe also made me miss that fresh Cuban bread also available in the local Publix supermarket. Hard to find that in Atlanta. Thanks for the good memory!
I hope your friend enjoys it! I think if I ever moved away from the area that would be something I sure would miss! Glad this recipe could bring you some wonderful memories. I love so many memories are surround a meal and the recipe.
I actually grew up eating this, this is actually a cuban recipe brought from Spain. My mom and grandma always added cabbage, ham and cuban pumpkin. So good, I make mine in a pressure cooker. But this slow Cooke recipe is amazing.
Thank you Hailey! Those additions sound delicious!
I add at the end or close to the end
Fresh cabbage. Also, I also cook with Cuban pumpkin. It is so good.
Those sound like delicious additions! I am going to have to give them a try!
Hi! Does the 6 cups of water include the water you used to soak the beans or is that in addition?
Thank you!
I use about 3 cups to soak the beans. Then add more water as it cooks if needed.
Adding to my previous reply…I used my InstantPot on this and it was great. I cooked it on the ‘bean’ setting first before adding chorizo and potato. Stopped it, then added the chorizo and potato, just to cook that through. Beans were starting to fall apart, but the soup was thick and flavorful. Just a little too salty for me.
I made this with a ham hock and 2 chorizo sausage links. Couldn’t find Vigo seasoning so used Sazon, which must be similar. In the end, it was absolutely delicious BUT extremely salty. Could be because of the ham hock? I would cut back somewhere. But that isn’t a game changer! I normally don’t use much salt in cooking. This really was wonderful.
What if you can’t find vigo seasoning???
I find it at Publix, but Goya has a Sazon seasoning as well.
Finding this recipe made my day. I went to college at UT and worked at Valencia Garden one summer and this soup was on their menu! So sad they closed years ago… their food was amazing and I even served the mayor there once! I thought about this soup lately and had no idea it was unique to the Tampa area. Will be trying it soon!
I am so glad you found it Mari! A few wonderful gems have closed in Tampa and it is so sad. I so hope you enjoy it!
I’m a tampa native and grew up having this soup every Christmas Eve. Well this year looks a little different and I’m going to take a stab at making it myself and found your recipe ? can’t wait to try it, thank you!!
Hi Jenna! Mine is a little different and you can use some chorizo and ham in place of the sausage, if you like to make it a little more authentic. This is always a big hit as is when I serve it, so I recommend trying it like the recipe states at least once. It thickens the more it cooks (or the next day when reheating) as the beans break down too (that may be the difference you see). If you like it thinner you can cook a little less or do not mash up beans. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know how it turns out.
I grew up eating the canned version of this soup that was sold by the Garcia Canning Company back in the day. They just disappeared years ago and I had been looking for my Spanish Bean Soup fix ever since. I ran across this recipe and tried it. I used the smoked chorizo sausage because I recall bits of that being in the Garcia’s version. I also can’t find Vigo seasoning but the Goya Saison Goya works quite well in this soup. I use 2 envelopes for the perfect seasoning. More will overpower the soup I think. Oh I also mince up some onion and saute that in some olive oil in the pot with the minced chorizo and garlic before adding the Saison Goya and the stock. Bring to boil and then add peas and potatoes. Now, as to cooking … there is no way you can cook this for more than 30 minutes, 45 minutes tops or you will just cook the beans and potatoes away. At 35-45 minutes the potatoes are very soft and giving up some starch to the broth and making a nice soup. This is not a simmer all day soup. It’s done in 30-45 minutes.
So glad you enjoyed it! The all day cook is in a slow cooker. You are correct it doesn’t have to cook all day on stove top.
We lived in Brandon (just below Tampa). We used to go to a Cuban restaurant there for this soup. I have never seen it anywhere else. I love soup, this is my favorite!
Was it La Septima? I am in Plant City nearby! I hope you enjoy making it at home!
Hi Linda. I am also from Brandon. I live in Lexington Ky now and I moved mom up here. We have been craving the recipes we all used to make. She specifically asked for Garbanzo Bean Soup so I am so happy to find this recipe. I also have mom’s Gasparilla Cook Book! That recipe asks for Chorizo. But I’ll stick with the ham. So good to hear from another Brandonite!
I hope your mom and you both enjoy it. Ham and Chorizo are def traditional and either or both can be used in place of the sausage. I am glad that you found a recipe from home.
This soup is excellent !!
I resorted to using chorizo because I had it on hand. I also had to make my own Spanish seasoning to the seasoning I added to a tsp of tumeric just for color.
Again fantastic recipe !!
Thank you Ron! Chorizo is excellent in this too! I am so glad you enjoyed it! It is really one of my most favorites soups too!
Is there a way to modify this recipe to an Instant pot? I’m cooking in a crock pot this time but would love to try my instant pot next time. Thanks!
I have not tested it yet. But It is on my list to try. I will post it and let you know when I get it perfected.
What is Vigo spanish seasoning? Is that a discontinued product? Or a nickname for an actual product? I have searched all over the website for Vigo foods and there is no such product listed. Please let me know what the real seasoning is or what you would use in place of a pre packaged product.
Thanks,
It is now called Vigo Flavoring & Coloring! I will have to update the post. Here is link to Vigo website so you can see what it looks like. https://vigofoods.com/catalog/product/2828/vigo-flavoring?i=80207. I need to come up with my own version. I will work on that.
Nikki, I use Sazon, Goya, con azafran. It’s a small box with packets. It gives the soup the color and flavor that it’s supposed to have. I’ve lived in Tampa all my life and have grown up eating the cuban staples. Most locals know how to make the everyday dishes like chicken and yellow rice, picadillo, etc. The Sazon gives great flavor to a lot of dishes. I love it on home fries
Sazon works too! They have great products. I use it in other recipes like black beans. Are you still in the Tampa area? I love it here it’s such a wonderful place to grow up!