Romanian GREEN Bean Soup Recipe (vegan)

This comforting Romanian green bean soup recipe comes straight from my grandfather: it's simple, paprika-rich, and full of old-world charm. Made with green beans, lovage, and fresh herbs = light yet deeply flavorful.

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My grandfather is over 80 years old, yet no day goes by without him cooking up a storm. When I visited him this summer, he made a green bean soup for us that was light, delicious, and full of paprika flavor.

I asked him for the recipe, eager to write it down and recreate the dish once I was back home in Germany.

But he just stared at me, puzzled. Then he chuckled and shrugged, looking adorable with his smiling old-man face.

That's how I found out that my grandpa has never used a cookbook in his entire life (or owned one, for that matter) or any kind of measurements in the kitchen.

He just knows the recipes by heart - all the traditional Romanian dishes that my family, and especially my grandmother, loved to cook and eat over the years. He knows what ingredients to use and how the dish should taste. Then, when he cooks or bakes, he adjusts the spices and condiments on the spot.

So, I grabbed my notebook and quickly jotted down the ingredients for my grandpa's green bean soup. I made sure not to forget the ground paprika; that spice gives the soup its deep, unmistakably Romanian flavor.

Back home in Germany, I made the soup, playing around with the spices and adjusting their amounts until it tasted just like the one my grandpa cooked in his little kitchen in Romania.

I hope you'll like it just as much as I do.

Why This Green Bean Recipe?

This isn't just any bean soup; it's a Romanian one. Here's what makes it special:

• Lovage. This herb is essential. In German it's called "Liebstöckl" or "Maggikraut," in Romanian it's "leuștean", and it has an intense, savory flavor. My Romanian family love it so much they freeze big bags of it - just in case they run out of the fresh stuff.

• Paprika. The most Romanian of all flavor profiles! You'll find paprika in so many Romanian dishes.

• Simplicity. A short ingredient list that gives you a light, broth-centered soup where the core ingredients (beans, paprika, herbs) are allowed to shine.

🍽 Recipe

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Romanian Green Bean Soup Recipe (vegan)

A comforting Romanian green bean soup recipe with paprika, lovage, and fresh herbs - straight from a Romanian kitchen.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Romanian

Keyword: fall, gluten-free, Romanian, summer, vegan

Servings: 4

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

• ▢ 1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil (or any other neutral tasting oil)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika (sweet, Hungarian-style preferred, not smoked or hot)
• ▢ 600 g fresh green beans (frozen green beans work too)
• ▢ 1.5 liters of vegetable broth
• ▢ 4 sprigs of fresh lovage (OR 2 teaspoons dried lovage)
• ▢ ½ bunch fresh parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
• ▢ Salt to taste
• ▢ Pepper to taste

Instructions

• If you're using fresh green beans, wash them, trim them, and chop them into bite-size pieces. Prepare onion and garlic.
• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
• Add the finely chopped garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant (avoid browning).
• Add the ground paprika and the green beans. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the paprika blooms and releases its aroma (but watch out not to brown the paprika or it will taste bitter).
• Pour in the vegetable broth and add the lovage (sprigs or dried amount). Bring the soup to a full boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer until the green beans are tender-crisp (about 10-15 minutes).
• Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the fresh lovage sprigs. Stir in the freshly chopped parsley and dill.
• Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

I'm always curious. Tried this Romanian green bean soup recipe? How did it go? I wanna hear all about it. How did you serve it?

Drop the details below because we all love a fun twist or a lesson learned.

Wishing you planty of Romanian delights,
Ramona

♥

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