This bean chowder recipe is the best, hearty chowder I’ve made in a long time!

This is one of those recipes that makes a huge pot of soup that you can easily portion out and freeze for a cold winter evening with some crusty garlic bread. It makes about a full gallon of soup. I love making a ton of soups because when winter hits and I inevitably catch a cold or flu, all I have to do is reach in the freezer, thaw and warm and lunch or dinner is on the table.

As a single mom, these types of meals are really critical. All it takes is one busy day or one flu to wipe out my entire schedule. It’s possible for all three meals to get erased from my schedule in lieu of snacking on whatever happens to be available.

By itself, this is a wonderful vegetarian/vegan meal. But feel free to add a clean sausage or even some browned, scrambled, ground meat to this for extra protein. It’s a super easy dish to make and is pretty easy on the budget if you don’t add the meat.

You can either make the beans at home in your slow cooker (that’s always been the easiest way to cook beans!), or you can buy a few cans of beans, providing you make sure there is no added sugar or other unwanted ingredients in the can. Clean cans of beans can be tough to track down, but they do exist and they do make this recipe a whole lot easier. But that doesn’t mean you can’t just make the beans at home if that’s what you normally do.  I will say that some of the things I’ve read about undercooked kidney beans make me always want to buy them canned. But that’s a personal decision. I leave that up to you and what you’re comfortable with.

This soup is great for school lunch thermoses or work lunches on the go. Make a big pot and you’ll have soup at the ready any time you need it!

HEALTHY SOUP RECIPES:

• Potato Leek Soup
• Rotisserie Chicken Soup

BEAN CHOWDER RECIPE:

5 from 3 votes

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Bean Chowder Recipe

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

If you love a good chowder, you'll really enjoy this Clean Eating Hearty Bean Chowder. It's perfect for a cold evening. Comfort in a bowl!

Course: Soup, Stew

Cuisine: American

Yield: 16 cups

Calories: 207 kcal

Author: The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken or veggie broth/stock
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 2 medium stalks celery, sliced thin
• 1 (28 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 oz.) can refried beans
• 1 lb. frozen, organic corn
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 large bay leaves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients into a large soup or stock pot and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper as needed.

4. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Please note that the nutrition data is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition Facts

Bean Chowder Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 207 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Sodium 506mg22%

Potassium 620mg18%

Carbohydrates 39g13%

Fiber 10g42%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 1650IU33%

Vitamin C 7.1mg9%

Calcium 75mg8%

Iron 3.5mg19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 9/27/17.