American

Summer Succotash Soup

September 16, 2020
4
4 Ratings
Photo by Caroline Wright
  • Prep time 8 hours
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Makes 8 bowlfuls
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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, chopped
  • 3 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers, seeds and membrane removed, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
  • 1 1/2 pounds unripe, green tomatoes or tomatillos, husk removed, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves (from 1 bunch), roughly torn
  • 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from approximately two cobs), (optional)
  • Cornbread, for serving
Directions
  1. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until hot; add onion, bell peppers and garlic. Season generously with salt (about 1 teaspoon). Cook, stirring often, until peppers are soft and their juices have reduced and thickened to a sweet syrup (about 15 minutes).
  2. Stir in mustard seeds, paprika, pepper flakes, thyme, beans, tomatoes, and 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) water. Season generously with salt (about 2 teaspoons).
  3. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup, covered, until beans are tender but haven’t yet begun to break apart (about 40 minutes).
  4. Stir in basil. Season soup with additional salt to taste. Stir in corn kernels, if using. Remove thyme stems before serving.

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Before her diagnosis, Caroline wrote a book on cakes called Cake Magic!. She started developing a birthday cake using her gluten-free mix found in that book. Check out other recipes she’s developing for her new life—and the stories behind them—on her blog, The Wright Recipes. Her next book, Soup Club, is a collection of recipes she made for her underground soup club of vegan and grain-free soups she delivers every week to friends throughout Seattle's rainy winter.

6 Reviews

cholula December 17, 2021
This soup was way too bland for my taste. I even added a jalapeno to the peppers when they were sautéed. The recipe lists a lot of tomatillos, if you use those or tomatoes. I chose the tomatillos. That large of a quantity made the soup somewhat bitter. Personally disappointed in this soup.
rukahn September 26, 2020
Succotash soup recipe shows no broth/liquid for "soup"...please explain.
Caroline W. September 26, 2020
It is in the recipe method, step 2. I don't put water in the ingredient list.
1.4.U September 25, 2020
I made this soup using frozen corn, which I sautéed with the onions and peppers... since I wasn’t able to find unripe tomatoes, I used cherry tomatoes, sliced in half instead... I love a little heat, therefore I upped the chilly flakes slightly... I served it with slices of lemon, allowing each person to squeeze as they please... feta cheese, marinated olives and sourdough bread on the side... what a success. Everyone loved it !!!
Caroline W. September 26, 2020
Sounds delicious! Corn is the perfect thing to add-- it's what I tell my friends in my soup club to do-- but I don't happen to eat it, which is why it isn't in the recipe. So glad you added it!
greg T. September 27, 2020
Amazing story, so glad you are doing well. We’ll make this tomorrow and buy your book. 😎 if you want my sausage soup recipe let me know lol