There’s something magical about a bowl of soup that’s hearty enough to be dinner — and this pulled pork and bean soup ticks all the boxes. We’re talking slow-cooked, fall-apart pork in a rich, smoky tomato broth, with creamy beans and a handful of greens for good measure. It’s the kind of meal you want to curl up with on a chilly day — deeply satisfying, full of flavour, and brilliant for batch cooking.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Corey says: “I made this soup with a smoked pork butt I had leftover and it turned out perfectly. A bomb of different flavors in this one. Highly recommend!” See the comment
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I’m not one of those people who can make a simple, smooth soup and be satisfied with it. I need my soup to have substance. Veggies, meat, cheese, potato skin croutons, pasta – yes soup needs to be filling!
I wanted to get this slightly spicy Pulled Pork and Bean Soup to you quick – before the weather starts getting too warm for soup (says the girl who makes beef casserole in Summer).
Soup has got to be something really special for me and this pulled pork and bean soup hits the spot!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this pulled pork and bean soup:
Stock – Pork stock from cooking the shoulder together with chicken stock to really build the layers of flavour.
Pork shoulder – Rolled with the fat and skin on for maximum flavour.
Tinned beans – I like to use a mix of cannellini and pinto beans, but you can play around.
Chopped tomatoes – These form the base of our rich tomatoey broth along with some tomato puree (tomato paste).
Kale – Adds a lovely earthy contrast and a pop of green.
Onion, celery and carrots – The flavour foundation of any good soup, using to cook with the pulled pork to make that pork bone broth even tastier.
Garlic and spices – Cumin, paprika and chilli powder for warmth and depth.
👍 Why This Recipe Works
✅ It’s all about layers of flavour. We start by slow-cooking a well-marbled pork shoulder until it’s meltingly tender — this not only gives you beautifully juicy meat, but also a homemade stock that’s rich and savoury.
✅ The beans soak up all that goodness, adding creaminess and making the soup seriously filling — no sad, watery broth here!
✅ A trio of spices — cumin, paprika, and chilli — brings a subtle warmth and depth without overpowering the dish, while the kale adds freshness and a bit of bite right at the end.
It’s a proper feel-good bowl that’s easy to scale up, great for freezing, and a fab way to use up leftover pork if you’ve got some hanging around.
Admittedly, it sounds like a fair amount of effort for soup, but it’s SO worth it. Besides, it makes a big batch, so you can freeze it to keep you going for a couple of weeks!
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Pin ItPro Tip
Let your pork stock chill before using it — it makes all the difference. After slow-cooking the pork shoulder, you’ll be left with a beautifully rich stock. Pop it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight if you’re planning ahead), and the fat will rise to the top and solidify. You can then easily lift it off with a spoon — this not only gives you a cleaner-tasting broth but also helps reduce greasiness in the final soup.
I’ve tested this both ways, and trust me — removing the excess fat really lets the flavours shine. It’s a little step that adds polish and makes the whole dish feel lighter, without losing that comforting richness. A trick I use often when batch cooking soups and stews!
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Crusty Bread: Perfect for dipping and soaking up the rich broth.
- Side Salad: A light green salad complements the hearty soup.
- Or how about alongside a sandwich for that soup and sandwich vide.
Cumin, paprika, chilli powder, tomatoes, garlic all cooked long and slow with melt-in-the-mouth pork….
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Pulled Pork and Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the pulled pork:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.85 kg (4 lbs) rolled pork shoulder fat and skin kept on
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 carrots washed and chopped in half (no need to peel)
- 1 onion cut in half (no need to remove the skin)
- 1 stick of celery broken in half
- 2 cloves garlic chopped in half (no need to peel)
- 2 ½ litres (2/3 gallon) chicken stock (chicken broth)
Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow pepper deseeded and chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes in juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 400 g (14 oz tin) pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 400 g (14 oz tin) cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 100 g (1 cup) kale tough stalks removed, washed and sliced
Instructions
Make the pulled pork
- Start with the pulled pork. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F (fan). Heat the oil in a large oven-proof pot on a high heat. Season the pork with the salt and pepper and place the pork in the pan. Brown on all sides (this should take about 15 minutes altogether).1 tbsp olive oil, 1.85 kg (4 lbs) rolled pork shoulder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper
- Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic and stock. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and place a lid on the pan. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 ½ – 4 hours, checking 2 or 3 times during cooking. Top up with boiling water if the liquid level reduces by more than a half during cooking.2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 stick of celery, 2 cloves garlic, 2 ½ litres (2/3 gallon) chicken stock (chicken broth)
- Once the pork has cooked, leave to cool. Drain the liquid, reserving the stock (discard the vegetables). Allow the stock to cool, then refrigerate. Once chilled, the fat will form a solid layer at the top. You can discard this layer of fat, or use for another dish.
- Place the pork on a chopping board. Remove and discard the skin. Shred the meat using two forks, removing any excess fat that may be remaining.
Make the soup
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes stirring often until softened.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
- Add the yellow pepper, tomato puree, chilli powder, paprika, and cumin. Heat through for 3 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables.1 yellow pepper, 3 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US), ½ tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin
- Add the tinned tomatoes, honey, and the reserved pork stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.800 g (28 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes in juice, 1 tbsp honey
- Add in the pinto beans, cannellini beans, and the pulled pork. Heat on high for 6-7 minutes until heated through.400 g (14 oz tin) pinto beans, 400 g (14 oz tin) cannellini beans
- Stir in the kale and cook for a further minute until wilted, then serve.100 g (1 cup) kale
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This soup tastes even better the next day as the flavours develop.
A rolled pork shoulder with fat and skin on is ideal for this recipe.
Yes, as long as you use gluten-free stock or bouillon powder.
Yes absolutely. You don’t want to use pork that’s covered in BBQ sauce but if you have some leftover from your carnitas then that would work great too, just skip the initial steps of making the pulled pork in this recipe.
🍲 More superb soup recipes
This pork and bean soup recipe was first posted in April 2017. Updated in July 2025 with new photos, additional information, FAQ’s and for housekeeping reasons.
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Roughly how much broth (ml) would you say the pork yields? I’ve done another recipe and saved the broth as well as some of the pulled pork, and I’m trying to work out if I need more liquid to do the soup. Thank you!
Hi, from memory, the amount of stock added reduced down by a little under half. So I would say it produces around 1.25 litres (~1/3 gallon).
Thank you!
My husband and I just made this soup out of left over pork shoulder. He cooked the pork for pulled pork sandwiches and then used the bone to make the broth. I did make the beans from scratch because I had them on hand. I love the kale and yellow pepper because they add so much color and texture. My husband doctored it up a bit by adding some Dijon because he puts that in everything and says it’s the “secret ingredient.”
We are super happy with how it turned out.
Thank you for sharing.
Did not have cannellini so substituted garbanzo beans, excellent recipe and will definitely make again!
I made this soup with a smoked pork butt I had leftover and it turned out perfectly.
A bomb of different flavors in this one. Highly recommend!
I like the idea of this recipe. But can I use leftover pulled pork?
Wow what a gorgeous hearty soup, well worth the time. Delicious.
this looks amazing, I’m going to give it a go tonight – thank you! 🙂
Hope you enjoy the soup Tor 🙂