Best Portuguese Bean Soup Recipe from Hawaii Revealed
Looking for the best soup recipe? Discover Hawaii’s tastiest Portuguese bean soup now!
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What is Portuguese Bean Soup?
Portuguese bean soup, by far, is my favorite comfort food, and I remember growing up with it in Hawaii. It is a hearty, flavorful soup that I like to slurp on cold days. It is the best amongst big crowds as this recipe yields many servings.
This recipe has truly become a popular choice with my family. It has a rich, smoky, and savory taste, and it is served over hot, sticky white rice. I’m literally drooling as I’m writing this!
Where can you find Portuguese Bean Soup?
While Portuguese Bean Soup is commonly found in Hawaii, there are a few options available for enjoying this dish outside of Hawaii:
- Zippys Restaurant – Zippy’s, a popular Hawaiian restaurant chain, offers a 4-pound bag of Portuguese Bean Soup. They are usually sold cold and require reheating.
- Ivar’s Soup Company – They offer online orders of premade 4lb pouches similar to Zippy’s. It simply needs to be reheated and enjoyed.
What are the ingredients for Portuguese Bean Soup?
Here’s a classic list of ingredients for Portuguese Bean Soup, you are always free to interchange the ingredients based on your preferences:
- Smoked ham hock or shank
- Portuguese sausage (linguica)
- Red kidney beans
- Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- Chicken or beef broth
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cabbage
- Potatoes
- Macaroni
- Seasonings (salt, pepper, bay leaves)
Suggested ingredients
Some optional add-ins you can use are watercress, green beans, or corn. It really is up to you!
How do you make Portuguese Sausage Bean Soup?
Here is how to make a classic Hawaiian-Style Portuguese Bean Soup recipe that’s hearty, smoky, and full of flavor:
- In a large pot, add the ham hock and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1–1.5 hours until the meat is tender and the broth is flavorful. Skim off any foam.
- Slice and add the sausage to the pot. Let it cook for 10–15 minutes to release flavor.
- In a pan, sauté onions and garlic in a little oil until soft, then add to the soup pot.
- Toss in the carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, kidney beans, and bay leaves. Simmer for 30–40 minutes until everything is tender.
- Add elbow macaroni in the last 10–12 minutes of cooking. Make sure there’s enough liquid.
- Add salt, pepper, and any optional seasonings like bay leaves.
- Remove the ham hock, shred the meat, discard the bone, and return the meat to the pot.
- Serve with hot rice and enjoy!
Are there similar recipes?
If you are looking for more comfort food recipes, try out these recipes:
Oh but an excellent pairing to go with this hearty soup is Portuguese Sweet Bread!
Tips & FAQs
It can be mildly spicy depending on the type of sausage used. Hawaiian versions often use Portuguese linguiça, which has little heat. You can adjust the spice level to your liking.
IYes! Replace the ham hock and sausage with smoked paprika, liquid smoke, and plant-based sausage. Use vegetable broth for the base.
Yes! It freezes well for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then store in airtight containers. Thaw in the fridge and reheat gently.
The soup will stay fresh in the fridge for about 4–5 days. The flavor often improves the next day!
Yes! It works great in both:
Instant Pot: Pressure cook for about 35–40 minutes, then natural release.
Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 6–8 hours.
Recipe Video:
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Portuguese Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 smoked ham shanks (or ham hocks)
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 2 quarts chicken broth or water
- 2 Portuguese sausage
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 large potatoes
- 1/2 medium head of cabbage
- 2 cans 15 oz kidney beans
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can 16 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 can 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the ham shank or hock and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 1–1.5 hours until the meat is tender and the broth is flavorful. Skim off any foam.
- Slice and add the sausage and cubed ham to the pot. Let it cook for 10–15 minutes to release flavor.
- Toss in the pot: garlic, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, crushed tomatoes and sauce, kidney beans, and bay leaves. Simmer for 30–40 minutes until everything is tender.
- Remove the ham shank or hock, shred or dice the meat, discard the bone, and return meat to the pot.
- Add elbow macaroni in the last 10–12 minutes of cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot over rice and enjoy!
Broke Da Mout: 10 of Hawaii's Local Recipe Cards - Series #2 
Broke Da Mout: 10 of Hawaii's Local Recipe Cards - Series #1 
5 stars reminded me of my family recipe-Ono delicious
Mahalo!! I’m so glad t hear that.
Trying today. I am guessing you are peeling the potatoes and dicing them? And all the vegetables dicing. It does not say. Cabbage. slice?
Yes, peel the potatoes and dice them into large chunks, same thing for cabbage.
Mahalo for the reminder, to use my hambone. The Portuguese bean soup is one of our family’s favorites! Got this recipe, when we were stationed on Oahu, and when visiting I always look for more local cook books. Now I can just look on this site for the all time favorites.
Aloha! So happy the hambone reminder helped, and that Portuguese Bean Soup is still a family fave. Mahalo for sticking with the classics and for checking my site for go-tos. If you make a pot, send a pic or any tweaks you love!
You can now find the ‘Purity’ brand name portugese sausage at Costco. They had it at the Cost in Marysville and Everett, Washington Costcos.
This soup got rave reviews!
This was the first time I’d used smoked ham shanks in my Portuguese bean soup. They really added complexity of flavor to the broth, making it well worth the extra cooking time.
Overall I followed your recipe as written, though I skipped the ham, figuring that the ham shanks meat and the linguisa made for plenty of meat. I used one can of puréed Roma tomatoes in place of regular sauce, which made the broth even more flavorful. I used LOTS of Napa cabbage because I had it.
A 1960s Hawaii cookbook I have calls for sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Give that a try sometime! Note: the linguisa I could find in Olympia WA did no have the kicky spice I remember from Hawaii!
That sounds amazing and wonderful tips! Wish I was there to sample it haha
This is a delicious dish. I’m happy to have made.it as written. I made it again with a handful of chopped fresh watercress. WOW! I. will use your recipe with the added watercress from now on.
Ohhh I’ll need to try that out!
What kind of sausage would you recommend for a substitute? Unfortunately I don’t have access to Portuguese sausage where I live.
Sometimes they sell Portuguese sausage under a different name like Linguica. If they don’t have that, you can try chorizo or Italian sausage.
I’ve used smoked sausage or polka kielbasas
I don’t know if you ever got an answer but you can use kielbasa sausage like hillside farms. Even the spicy one would be good in this recipe. Also, a lot of Asian markets carry Hawaiian style Portuguese sausage. It would be in the frozen section. Good luck!
Just like I remember my Portuguese auntie making. I’ve tried lots of recipes, loved them all, but this one is really the Best. Capital B.
Please write a book!!!
Nana
(Stuck on the mainland.)
Mahalo Nana!