This Southern Soup Beans and Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread recipe is delicious!

Originally Published 02/18/2021

I think every area of the United States has its own recipe for beans. But Southern Soup Beans are near and dear to my heart because of my hubby and living in the South for a while now.

My husband’s side of the family is originally from Eastern Kentucky and this recipe is born from their Appalachian roots! I had never even heard of soup beans until marrying into this wonderful family.

Honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure how anyone could think much of this dish. How could slow-cooked pinto beans with some ham or bacon and salt and pepper be that tasty?

Boy was I wrong! There is something so elementally comforting, and amazing about these Southern Soup Beans. They’re rich, and thick, and saucy, and smokey, and creamy, and warm and I can’t ever stop with one bowl. Another great thing about these beans is that they are ALWAYS served with cornbread!

Southern cornbread is not sweet. It’s savory and wonderful. Just for something different though, I decided to make this Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread and kick it up a notch! Anyway, I hope you fall in love with the recipes for Southern Soup Beans and Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread.

While the recipe for Southern Soup Beans is simple, it does take some time.

The night before you want to make this recipe, the dry pinto beans need to be rinsed and soaked in cold water. Soaking them helps jumpstart the rehydration process so they take a little less time to cook the next day.

These Southern Soup beans can be made in a large pot on the stove, or in a crockpot. Depending on how much time you have, the stovetop beans will cook in around 2 hours, while the crockpot method takes at least 4 hours. Either way, simply add the pre-soaked pinto beans, beef bouillon, garlic, onions, pepper, and diced bacon to the pot, and cover with water! The beans need to be under at least 2″ of water to cook thoroughly and get nice and soft. No crunchy beans! 

Four notes:

1. I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base – it has great flavor!

2. You can put the diced bacon in raw, it will cook with the beans. If you prefer though, the bacon can be cooked separately, drain the grease and then add to the beans.

3. Either way you decide to cook these, come back occasionally to stir them and check the water level. Chances are you will have to add more water at some point. These pinto beans soak up a lot of water while they cook! You want to end up with nice soft beans and enough water leftover that it makes a thick broth.

4. Add the salt last. Salt is dehydrating and we are working on re-hydrating! You can add salt to taste at the end, either to the whole pot of beans or just to the individual bowls when served. It doesn’t take a lot of salt to oversalt these Southern Soup Beans, so go easy!

Now for the Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread!

It’s cakey and savory with melted sharp cheddar and that fresh jalapeño kick! I don’t know who the first person was who decided jalapeños and cheddar belonged together, but I’d like to shake their hand! This cornbread is delish.

So… about thirty minutes before you’re ready to eat, it’s time to make the cornbread!

Grease a 10″ cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven as it’s preheating to 450 degrees.

Heating up the skillet before putting the batter in there is what makes the bottom of cornbread nice and crispy!

I use Martha White Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix. Until recently, I wasn’t aware that it isn’t sold everywhere. So at the bottom of the recipe, I’ve included measurements to make your own self-rising cornmeal mix.

For the jalapeños, I de-seeded them before chopping them up fairly fine. The heat is in the seeds, so de-seeding will add jalapeño flavor without as much heat.

When I diced up two large jalapeños, it came out to be about 3/4 of a cup. You can add less than this if you’re unsure of the heat or flavor! Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir together. Mix everything until it is smooth and no lumps of cornmeal mix are left. Pour the batter into your hot cast-iron skillet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the middle is set and it’s a lovely golden brown color! That’s it for this tasty Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread!

Southern Soup Beans and Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread,

at their heart, are simple, down-home, comfort food. 

They’re not fancy, or complicated, but I’m pretty certain if you give them a try, Southern Soup Beans and Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread will win you over!

On a cold winter’s day, you won’t find much better to warm your bones! And like I said above, you can’t serve beans without cornbread and this cornbread is the best!

I hope you try out both of these recipes and enjoy a taste of Kentucky cooking right in your own kitchen!❤️

Print Recipe

Southern Soup Beans

Hearty and filling, this simple Southern Soup Bean recipe is comfort and warmth in a bowl!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Soaking Time1 day d

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Servings: 5 people

Equipment

• Crock-Pot or Large Pot
• Colander
• Large bowl
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Knife
• Cutting board

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Dried Pinto Beans
• 8 Cups Water
• 1 tbsp Beef Bouillon
• 1 tbsp Garlic minced
• 1/3 Cup Onions chopped
• 1/2 Pound Bacon diced
• 1 tsp Pepper

Instructions

Stovetop

• Pour 4 cups of dry pinto beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. 

Then put the pinto beans into a large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water. The beans should be submerged under at least 2″ of water. Cover and let them sit overnight.
• The next day, pour the beans back into the colander, dumping out any remaining water they haven’t soaked up and rinse.

Transfer the beans to a large pot and add in the beef bouillon, garlic, onions, pepper, and diced bacon.

Pour in up to 8 cups of water, the beans should be submerged again under 2″ of water. Stir to combine everything.
• Bring the beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially leaving room for steam to escape, and allow to simmer for 2 hours or until the pinto beans are soft and thoroughly cooked. 

Stir occasionally, and if the beans are looking dry add more water as they’re simmering.
• The Southern Soup Beans are ready to eat when the pinto beans are soft and mushy and the broth is thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with garnishes of choice: hot sauce, sour cream, onions, cheese, etc. 

Enjoy with a slice of cornbread!

Crockpot

• Follow stovetop instructions, but place pinto beans and other ingredients in the crockpot.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Stir occasionally and add more water if the beans are looking dry.

Print Recipe

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Classic Southern Cornbread kicked up a notch by adding sharp cheddar and spicy jalapeño flavor!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Servings: 8 slices

Equipment

• Mixing Bowl
• Rubber Spatula
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• 10″ Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Martha White Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 1 3/4 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup Sharp Cheddar shredded
• 2 Jalapeños large de-seeded, diced

Instructions

• Grease a 10″ cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven on the middle rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with the skillet in the oven. 

(Coconut oil works better than olive oil for greasing the cast-iron skillet as it has a higher smoke point)
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sharp cheddar, and de-seeded, diced jalapenos ( 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of diced jalapeños).

Mix thoroughly until there are no lumps of dry cornmeal left.
• Using a hot pad, remove the cast-iron skillet from the oven and pour all the cornbread mix into it. Smooth it around until it is even and then put the skillet back in the oven.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the cornbread is set and it is golden brown.
• Once finished baking, remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.

Enjoy!

Notes

I had never heard of Martha White Self-rising Corn Meal Mix until moving to the south. When I was out in Wyoming visiting family I could not find it at the store. Apparently, it isn’t sold everywhere. I am including a link so you can purchase it off Amazon if you also can’t find it in your neck of the woods! 

You can also make your own self-rising cornmeal mix with ingredients your local store does offer.

For this recipe, you can substitute 2 Cups of Martha White Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix for:

 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour

 1 1/2 cup regular cornmeal

2 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

Then follow the recipe as written 

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