Jamaican Red Peas Soup

Jamaican Red Peas Soup is a hearty and flavorful dish that brings the vibrant tastes of the Caribbean to your table. Rich with red kidney beans, tender meats, and aromatic spices, this comforting soup is perfect for warming up on a cold day.

I really enjoy soups with dumplings because they’re both tasty and satisfying, much like this Jamaican Red Pea Soup. Once you’ve made the dumplings, the rest is just about peeling, chopping the vegetables, seasoning, and cooking the soup.

This Jamaican Red Pea Soup recipe is straightforward, and you shouldn’t be intimidated by the dumplings. I was hesitant when I first made a soup with dumplings, but it turned out to be simpler than I expected. Once you get the hang of it, there’s no turning back. If you’re a fan of soups with dumplings, you might also want to try my Bouyon Haitian soup recipe.

Ingredients

Detailed quantities are on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Red kidney beans
• Beef
• Butternut squash: You can also use pumpkin if you prefer
• Sweet corn on the cob
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onion
• Minced garlic
• Celery
• Spring onion 
• Seasoning: this is what I used but you are welcome to use what you have and like. (Oregano, pinch of salt, dried Italian herbs, turmeric, dried rosemary, 1 of cube beef stock.0

Ingredients for dumpling

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• pinch of salt
• Water

How to make Red Peas Soup Jamaican style

1. Start by cooking the beans. Place them in a large, deep pot along with 4 cups of water. Set the heat to medium-high and allow the beans to simmer gently for about 45 minutes to an hour. If you can, soak the beans in water the night before, as this helps to soften them and reduce cooking time. While the beans are cooking, you can use this time to prepare the dumplings.

Making the Dumplings for this red pea soup with beef:

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour together with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Ensure the dry ingredients are well combined by mixing them thoroughly. Gradually add about ¾ cup of lukewarm water to the dry mixture, stirring as you go until the mixture forms a dough. The dough should have a consistency that is neither too stiff nor too soft.
3. Once the dough has come together, allow it to rest for a few minutes, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, to let the ingredients fully integrate. After resting, divide the dough into small, meatball-sized portions. When making these dumplings for the red pea soup recipe, you can shape them into either a round form or roll them into stick-like shapes. The stick-like dumplings tend to cook faster, but the round ones offer a different texture. Once shaped, set the dumplings aside until needed.

Cooking the Jamaican Red Peas Soup:

4. While the beans are cooking, start preparing the vegetables. Begin by peeling and chopping the potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Then, chop the carrots, celery, and spring onions, and dice the onion. Peel the skin off the squash and cut it into similarly-sized chunks. Take the sweet corn cobs and cut each into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on their length. Lastly, cut the beef into stew-sized chunks.
5. After about an hour, check the beans; they should be partially cooked but not yet fully tender. At this point, add the beef chunks to the pot along with an additional 3 to 4 cups of water. Continue cooking the mixture for another 30 minutes to allow the beef to start tenderizing and to meld with the beans.

6. Once the beef has been cooking for 30 minutes, add the chopped carrots and potatoes to the pot. Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes, giving them time to soften slightly. Then, add the diced onions, celery, and spring onions to the pot, along with any seasonings you prefer, such as salt, pepper, or fresh herbs. I used Oregano, pinch of salt, dried Italian herbs, turmeric, dried rosemary, 1 of cube beef stock. Stir the mixture well to ensure the seasonings are evenly distributed.

7. Next, add the sweet corn and squash chunks to the soup. Let these vegetables cook for another 10 minutes. If the soup seems too thick or you prefer a brothier consistency, you can add more water at this stage.

8. Finally, gently place the dumplings into the pot, making sure they are fully submerged in the broth. Let the dumplings cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, allowing them to absorb the flavors of the soup while they finish cooking. As the dumplings cook, do a taste test to check the seasoning and also to ensure that the squash and dumplings are fully cooked.

9. Once everything is tender and well-seasoned, your Caribbean red peas soup is ready to be served. Ladle it into bowls, ensuring each portion has a good mix of beans, beef, vegetables, and dumplings. Serve the soup hot, and enjoy the rich, comforting flavors that this traditional Jamaican red pea soup has to offer.

Tips and mistakes to avoid when cooking this red kidney beans soup

1. Use a large deep and large pot, cause the veggies and broth needs more space.
2. Try to add the dumplings towards the end of the cooking, they should never be cooked for more than 20 minutes cause they will fall apart and become mushy.
3. You can use beef broth or stock instead of water, just bear in mind to go down on the seasoning that contain salt such as beef stock cubes and salt it self.
4. Plan this red pea soup recipe ahead, soak them in warm water a day before cooking it. This will drastically adjust the cooking time.
5. If you want to cooking this soup same day and cant really soak the beans then dropping a silver metal teaspoon in the beans will help them cook faster.

More hearty comforting soup recipes to add to your rotation

How to store left over beans soup

I’ve noticed that red peas soup tends to taste even better the next day, possibly because the flavors blend more overnight. Here’s how to store and reheat your red peas soup to keep its taste and texture intact:

First, let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

When reheating the soup, it’s important to do so gently and slowly. Warm it on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating. If the soup seems too thick after being stored, you can add a bit of water or vegetable broth to bring it back to the original consistency. Avoid using high heat to prevent the beans from becoming too soft and the vegetables from losing their texture.

If you’re short on time, the microwave is a quick option. Place the soup in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a microwave-safe lid or paper towel, and heat on high for 2-3 minutes. Stir halfway through to ensure it heats evenly.