The perfect, hearty soup for a cold, rainy day, this white bean and chorizo soup with spinach is a flavorful comfort food that you'll want to make again and again.
Put the white beans in a bowl or other large container. Cover with them with water, adding enough water to cover them by several inches. They will double in size, So choose the container accordingly. (You should end up with around 4 cups of soaked beans.)
Preparing the soup, the day of serving
Strain the excess water off the beans and rinse them.
Slice the chorizo into ½ inch (1.5cm) slices. Pan fry the chorizo in the pot you will be using to cook the soup. If you will be using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, choose the sautee setting. If desired, drain off the excess oil.
If using a pressure cooker/ Instant Pot
Add the beans to the pressure cooker with the pan-fried chorizo and around 4 cups of broth. The broth should fully cover the beans. If not, add some water until they are covered with liquid.
For cooked beans that hold their shape, use the legume setting of the pressure cooker. The legume setting of my pressure cooker lasts around 35 minutes once the heat level has been reached. If you want them to be on the softer side, I'd suggest increasing the cook time slightly.
Once you've released the excess pressure and opened up the pressure cooker, if you find that the beans aren't cooked to your liking, you can continue to cook them a bit longer. (Try either the slow cook setting, a sautee setting, or another similar setting that allows for cooking without closing and building pressure again. This will depend on your pressure cooker.)
On the stovetop
If you will be making this on the stove, a lot of the water will evaporate. I suggest having around 7 cups of liquid ready to compensate for the evaporation. During the cooking process, you can add water, as needed to keep the beans covered.
Simmer for around an hour and a half and check the beans for tenderness. Add in extra water as needed to maintain the desired consistency.
Finishing up
Shortly before serving, add a few handfuls of spinach to the soup. Let the spinach wilt and stir it into the soup. Once it has decreased in size, you can add some more, if you like.
Taste the soup and add seasonings like salt, freshly ground pepper, and possibly some smoked paprika to taste. It's now ready to serve!
Video
Notes
I usually make this soup with small white beans like navy beans. You can use other legumes too. Just be sure to adjust the cook times accordingly.Kale, or even nettles, can be used in place of the spinach.
Which chorizo?
I use Spanish chorizo in this recipe because it adds a smoky flavor which comes from the smoked paprika, or pimentón de la Vera, used in Spanish chorizo. Either fresh chorizo or dried-cured chorizo can be used.
Can't find Spanish chorizo?
If you don't have access to Spanish chorizo, you can make your own chorizo. If you don't want to make the sausages, you can make simple chorizo-flavored meatballs instead. Follow the chorizo recipe and mix together the ground pork, salt, garlic, and smoked paprika. Rather than pressing the mixture into sausage casings, it can be rolled into meatballs.If you are using Mexican chorizo, consider adding some smoked paprika to the recipe, for flavor.
Don't have time to pre-soak and cook the beans?
Yes, you can use jarred/canned beans instead. The soup can be made in under 20 minutes if using pre-cooked beans. Just pan-fry the chorizo, add the beans with some broth, and cook until the chorizo is fully cooked and the beans are fully heated through. Add the spinach at the last minute.
Other variations
This can be made into a brothy rice dish over the stove by adding short-grained rice to the beans when there are around 20 minutes of cook time remaining. Add enough liquid to cover the rice and end up with a thick, brothy mixture. (It shouldn't be liquidy like a soup, but shouldn't be dry like a paella either.)