Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (2024)

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Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (1)

by: Gerhild Fulson / Cookbook Author, Blogger, German Oma!

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This easy German Green Bean Soup, akaGrüne Bohnensuppe, is something I'll make when I'm strapped for time and need something easy and quick, and so delicious. It's one that all the family members love at anytime of the year.

It's a traditional German soup that's acomplete mealand the start of something amazing, since you can make so many variations on thisfavorite soup.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (4)

This is agreat recipeto learn how to cook adelicious soupin the way that Oma does. It's “a bit of this and a bit of that.” If you've never cooked that way, try it.

First follow my recipe below thefirst timeand then do some experimenting.

Can you pressure can this green bean soup?

One of our readers, Judy Goeringer, wrote in to let me know that she's pressure canned this soup with great success. I'll add her recipe adjustments right under therecipe cardbelow, so you can make it as well.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (5)

Above are Judy's jars of German green bean soup, ready to be stored away for future use.

What ingredients to use for Oma's green bean soup?

This is the fun part of this recipe. It's where the experimenting happens!

Fresh ingredients are always best. That means fresh green beans in this case. However, fresh beans aren't the only option. I frequently use frozen green beans. In fact, I'll always have a couple of bags of frozen ones in the freezer, just for this soup. Even canned beans work.

For the meat, you can use raw lean ground beef. If you have some ham hocks, smoked sausage, or kielbasa (cut into bite-sized pieces), that works great as well. Or perhaps you have some leftover roast, pork or beef, and maybe some gravy. If you are using cooked meat, omit the oil and add the cut-up meat to the frozen beans. You can also fry bacon and add that, using the grease from that to brown the ground beef.

For the liquid, the easiest is water. Especially if you're using raw beef, you'll end up creating a broth from this. However, using chicken broth, vegetable broth, or beef broth is great. If you don't have any, you can use a bouillon cube or two. If you have leftover gravy, add that as well.

For the potatoes, use raw ones, cut in chunks, or if there are leftover cooked potatoes, use them. Leftover mashed potatoes work great too. Or instant mashed potatoes, or canned potatoes – whatever you have! For quantities of these types of potatoes – it depends on how thick you want the soup. Adding these cooked potatoes once the beans are cooked, will give you a German green bean soup in about 15 minutes.

For the onions, really any kind will do. I usually use just plain cooking onions for most of my cooking. Red will work. Green onions would be interesting to add towards the end.

For the seasonings, Bohnenkraut is essential!!!! It's that ingredient that MAKES this a German food! And what is Bohnenkraut? Summer Savory. I also use Vegeta in my soup. This is a seasoning mix. If you can't get that, just season with salt and pepper. Add Maggi if you like.

Make this a colorful green bean soup by adding some sliced carrots or canned tomato chunks.

Grab your copy of Oma's favorite soups collection inQuick Fix German Soups e-Cookbook. You'll LOVE it!

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (6)

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

Here's how to make Oma'sGrüne Bohnensuppe:

Get your ingredients ready, peeling those potatoes and dicing the peeled onion.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (7)

Brown the ground beef and add the onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent. You don't need to get it golden brown, although if that happens, that's fine. It's more flavor.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (8)

Add the remaining ingredients. When you add the broth, use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of your pot. This is the flavor that will make your soup awesome!

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (9)

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until those veggies are tender. It will only take about 15 minutes.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (10)

Now you get to choose how you want to serve your soup. Either creamy or with a clear broth. If this is being served as a light lunch, side dish, or an appetizer, then probably keeping it as a clear broth is best.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (11)

However, if this is going to be your main meal, then adding those instant mashed potato flakes to thicken this hearty soup is a great idea.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (12)

Those potato flakes will increase the potato flavor of this soup. Delicious! Using Yukon gold potatoes brings a nice yellow color complement to the green beans.

Enjoy!

Hummus?

Yep. Hummus. Sylvie, my daughter-in-law, shares that hummus is delicious in thisto add extra zing. Her easy hummus recipeis so quick to make and it's becoming wildly popular in Germany. Try it. I think you'll like it too!

Oma says,

All you really need for the green bean soup is a bag of frozen green beans, some type of potato, some kind of meat (raw or cooked), some kind of liquid, whether water, chicken stock or such, some seasonings, and about 20 minutes.

This soup is really among my favorite quick and easy soup recipes. It actually shows how to make soup in a really easy way.

Ready to make German Green Bean Soup?

Is the recipe below locked?Here'swhy.

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (14)

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe

Grandma's green bean soup, aka Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe, is agreat optionwhen you don't have much time to make dinner. It's so easy, so quick, and so delicious. The whole family loves it.

Check the Notes/Hints section below for all the tips you'll need. Serve somehomemade artisan bread on the side. Yum!

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

Servings:

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground lean beef, (see notes below)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 pounds bag frozen cut green beans
  • about 1 teaspoon dried summer savory (Bohnenkraut)
  • 1 - 1½ tablespoonsVegeta Food Seasoning (see notes below)
  • 5 cups cubed raw potatoes, see below for other ideas
  • about 6 cups beef broth or water
  • about ½ cup instant mashed potato flakes (optional)
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

  1. In large pot or a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil and sauté the ground beef until it starts to brown.
  2. Add onions. Continue to sauté onions until they are translucent.
  3. Add frozen green beans and raw potatoes. (If using cooked potatoes, add once beans are cooked and just reheat.)
  4. Add just enough broth to almost cover veggies. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
  5. Add savory and Vegeta and stir.
  6. Bring to boil and lower to a medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
  7. Stir in just enough instant mashed potato flakes to thicken the broth of the soup, if using. Soup will thicken slightly more as it rests after adding the potato flakes.
  8. Season with salt, pepper, and extra summer savory, if desired.

Notes/Hints:

  • Garnish with fresh parsley or fresh dill with their bright green color.
  • Add Maggi to taste.
  • Instead of raw potatoes, add leftover cooked potatoes or mashed potatoes. Add this at the end of the cooking process and simmer until hot.
  • Instead of ground meat, use ham hocks, smoked sausage or kielbasa. Add it after you brown the onions. Leftover meat can be added at the end instead.
  • Instead of frozen beans, use fresh beans. First trim them and cut into small pieces.
  • Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, or a ham bone to the simmering soup.
  • Vegeta Food Seasoning has salt and dried vegetables in it. If you don't have this, add about 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper to start. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  • If you like soup with a clear broth, omit the instant mashed potato flakes.
  • This can be made in the slow cooker by putting all the ingredients (after browning the ground beef and onion) into a slow cooker and setting it to low for about 6 hours.
  • To make this more of a rich soup, serve it with a dollop of sour cream.
  • This tastes wonderful the next day.
  • Serve some homemade bread or rye bread with this to make it a main meal. Perfection!
  • If you love German cooking, then you'll love another one of my favorites: German Lentil Soup

* * * * *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

04.18.2023 revision update

Here'sJudy's Recipe for Pressure Canning this German Green Bean Soup

It's been years since I've pressure canned, so I'm really glad Judy shared how to do it here. ~ Oma Gerhild

For 7 quarts, the measurements change to:

Ingredients:

  • If using ground beef, fry as usual (approx. 1.75 pounds)
  • 1.75 medium onion (approx.)
  • 3.3 pounds green beans
  • 1.75 teaspoons Bohnenkraut (if adding 2x) 3.5 teaspoons
  • 8.3 cups potatoes (I used instant mashed because that’s what I had at the time)
  • 10 cups broth, water, or combination
  • I did not have Vegeta Food Seasoning but added Maggi
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

You do not need to cook everything before putting into pressure canner.

  1. Add all to huge pot (your potatoes will be warm), stir, fill jars, wipe rims, put lids and seals on, put in pressure canner, 25 minutes at 10 pounds, depending on altitude.
  2. If using meat, (potatoes and meat will be warm), add all to huge pot, stir, fill jars, wipe rims, put lids and seals on, put in pressure canner, 90 minutes at 10 pounds (because of the meat).

You will get more jars by adding meat. After your jars are filled, eat the rest!

You may also simply add meat when ready to open a jar or two!

~Judy Goeringer

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Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (26)

Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe ~ Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe

By Oma Gerhild Fulson
Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (27)
Oma's Green Bean Soup recipe is so easy. A traditional grüne Bohnensuppe that uses a basic method that’s the start of so many variations on the original German soup.

Ingredients: potatoes,ground beef,green beans,onion,Vegeta or seasonings,

For the full recipe, scroll up ...

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Easy German Green Bean Soup Recipe – Oma's Grüne Bohnensuppe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Deutsche Kuche German bean soup? ›

Ingredients. Water, white beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, modified corn starch, wheat flour, salt, canola oil, sugar, spices, guar gum, artificial flavorings.

Can I eat green bean soup everyday? ›

Absolutely, bean soup can be a fantastic addition to your daily diet, but like everything, it should be consumed in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. Rich in Fiber: Beans are a stellar source of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion and helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

How long to soak green beans before cooking? ›

The correct way to cook green beans with soaking method is to soak them in water overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours before cooking. Long soaking time helps to soften the green beans and thus, reduces the cooking time and saves gas.

How to infuse flavor into green beans? ›

Soy sauce is one of the easiest answers to how to flavor green beans. You can throw in some of this soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, ginger, and garlic and pan fry until glassy and green and you may never want to eat green beans any other way again.

What is the most popular soup in Germany? ›

Common soups in German restaurants include oxtail, beef or chicken broth with noodles, dumplings, or rice, goulash, split pea, cream of asparagus, turtle soup (Echte Schildkrötensuppe) and cream of lobster.

What does Deutsche Kuche mean? ›

German kitchen. More translations in context: German dishes, German cooking, German fare, German meals, German kitchens ...

Do green beans detox your body? ›

Green beans with its strong diuretic properties can serve as a great detox and help rid your body from unwanted toxins. Green beans pack abundant amounts of calcium and heart protective flavonoids. Flavonoids are polyphenolic antioxidants that are commonly found in fruits and vegetables.

What do green beans do to your body? ›

The vegetable helps fight inflammation and is a good source of folate and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Green beans also are a good source of protein and fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, Vadiveloo said. "Fiber is underconsumed by U.S. adults and children, and it's good for gut health," she said.

Will I lose weight if I eat vegetable soup everyday? ›

Regularly consuming soup has been linked to a lower body weight. However, there's insufficient research on the benefits of soup diets for weight loss. Still, due to the low calorie nature of these eating plans, you'll likely lose some weight in the short term.

Can dogs eat green beans? ›

Are Green Beans Safe for Dogs? Chopped, steamed, raw, or canned—all types of green beans are safe for dogs to eat, as long as they are plain. Green beans themselves are not only safe for dogs, but veterinarians also recommend them as a healthy treat. Best of all, dogs seem to love them.

Should I cut green beans before boiling? ›

Some green beans come with their stem ends already sliced off – they'll look like they have a flat, cut end. But if the stem ends are still on, snap them off before cooking. For a neater look, line up the ends of the green beans and slice them off on a bias. There's no need to trim the tender shoot on the other end.

Is it OK to leave fresh green beans in water overnight? ›

A 12-hour soak in cold water before cooking helps hydrate the beans and considerably shortens cooking time. Ideally, beans should be put to soak the night before they are to be prepared and be kept in a cool place, or in the refrigerator, to avoid any fermentation taking place.

What is the best flavor to add to green beans? ›

Spices and Herbs that Pair Perfectly with String Beans (These are Organic Too):
  • Garlic (minced, powder or granules)
  • Onion (minced, powder or granules)
  • Parsley as a finisher with some lemons squeezed on top.
  • Toasted sesame seeds.
  • Classic black malabar pepper and salt.
  • Basil.
  • Oregano.
  • Thyme.
Feb 24, 2021

What adds flavor to green beans? ›

Butter: A bit of butter adds a rich flavor and helps the seasoning stick to the green beans. Seasoned salt: Buy seasoned salt from the store, or make your own seasoned salt at home. Chili powder: This is an unexpected knockout seasoning. Chili powder adds a touch of spice and color without being too overpowering.

How to make Paula Deen green beans? ›

Add green beans to pan and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add boiling water to pan and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, just until beans are tender. Add vinegar, butter and salt and pepper and stir.

What is German blood soup made of? ›

It was mainly prepared during pig slaughter, when fresh blood was collected and cooked with pork, vinegar, onions, root vegetables, and spices such as bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves.

What are the ingredients in Deutsche Kuche Bavarian soft pretzels? ›

Wheat Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast, Malted Wheat Flour, Dextrose (from Wheat), Emulsifiers (471, 322 From Soy), Acidity Regulator (260).

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Ingredients. Pork, Water, Spices, Dextrose, Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, Citric acid, Disodium diphosphate, Spice extracts, Nisin preperation, Edible beef collagen casing.

What is Deutsche Kuche Braunschweiger? ›

Originally from Germany, Braunschweiger is a type of sausage made from ground pork livers, along with other pork scraps, then blended with various seasonings and ground into a smooth texture then stuffed into a casing that is typically smoked.

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