Red Pea Soup (kidney beans)

Name: Red Pea Soup (kidney beans)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound dried kidney beans, soaked overnight; 5 cups water; 4 cups unsalted chicken broth; 2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken; ½ cup finely chopped scallions (white and green parts); ¼ cup finely chopped celery; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground pepper, plus more to taste; ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves; 3 tablespoons minced sweet onion, such as Vidalia

2 steps

Prep:20minCook:1h 30min

Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, April 2023 In this installment of Diaspora Dining, Jessica B. Harris' series on foods of the African diaspora, the author and historian shares her recipe for a soup starring kidney beans. Called red peas in Jamaica, this ingredient connects this Jamaican soup with Africa's Caribbean diaspora.

Updated at: Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:37:03 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories284.1 kcal (14%)

Total Fat5.3 g (8%)

Carbs36.2 g (14%)

Sugars1.5 g (2%)

Protein23.2 g (46%)

Sodium387.1 mg (19%)

Fiber8.9 g (32%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

8 servings

1 pounddried kidney beans

soaked overnight

5 cupswater

4 cupsunsalted chicken broth

2 cupschicken

finely chopped, cooked

½ cupscallions

finely chopped, white and green parts

¼ cupcelery

finely chopped

2 tablespoonsminced garlic

1 tablespoonflat-leaf parsley

finely chopped

1 teaspoonsalt

½ teaspoonground pepper

plus more to taste

½ teaspoonfresh thyme leaves

finely chopped

3 tablespoonssweet onion

minced, such as Vidalia

Instructions

Step 1

broth, chicken, scallions, celery, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; boil for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. (Add water or broth if the soup seems too thick.)

Step 2

Season the soup with more pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sweet onion.