Dreena's Three-Bean Curry Tomato Soup Review

I've been waiting to try this recipe from Dreena's Vegan Blog all week, it was just a matter of cooking up the chick peas, which is a bit time consuming, but well worth it. It was a lovely, rich spicy, brothy, soothing treat. It had lots of lovely texture and a lovely exotic spicy quality. Don't skip the spice combination, you'll be delightfully surprised. It is quite savory, don't let the "sweet spices" throw you. This will fill you up body and soul, and is especially good if you're sniffling like I am!

Three-Bean Curry Tomato Soup
This soup is a must for curry enthusiasts! It’s straight-forward to make, and combines three kinds of healthful beans with vivid curry seasonings (without too much heat!). Serve with a cooked grain or some whole-grain bread for a complete meal.
Recipe from Vive le Vegan!


1/2 tbsp olive oil (or other oil of choice)
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped onion
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 - 1 1⁄2 tbsp mild curry powder or paste (or more for extra heat)
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp ground fennel
1⁄2 tsp ground cardamom (don't skip! adds beautiful flavor!)
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup dry red lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
3 - 3 1⁄2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 - 1 tsp pure maple syrup or other sweetener

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the celery, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper, and stir through. Add the mustard seeds, curry paste, ginger, fennel, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir through, cover, and let cook for 6-8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir through and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. For a thinner consistency, add a little extra water. Remove bay leaves, and season to taste with additional sea salt and black pepper.  *Soup even better the next day! :)

Makes 8 or more servings.