Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (2024)

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Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (4)

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7 votes | 28592 views

4 reviews | 4 comments

“Three Sisters” refers to the three main crops of Native Americans: beans, corn and squash. The crops are planted close together and in this way benefit from one another. Corn stalks provide the structure for beans to climb, beans provide nitrogen to the soil that other plants need, and the squash spreads along the ground blocking the sunlight and in so doing, helps prevent weeds. Now that you’ve had your agricultural lesson for the day, consider this popular southwestern soup recipe. I often add Italian sausage to this for additional heartiness, but the recipe also converts easily to vegetarian and to crock pot cooking.

Prep time:

Cook time:

Servings: 8

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Quick and EasyThree Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (6)

SouthwesternThree Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (7)

Ingredients

Cost per serving$1.09view details

  • 1/2 pound dried pinto beans (or take the easy way out and use 2 cups canned pinto beans (one 16 oz can)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic minced
  • 6 cups low fat chicken broth (or substitute water for vegetarian)
  • 1 large celery stalk, diced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup yellow squash peeled and chopped (I used butternut, pumpkin would work too)
  • 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup cilantro snipped for garnish/topping (optional)

Directions

  1. If using dried beans, soak overnight in cold water or boil for a few minutes and then let stand for an hour. Rinse and drain beans then add enough water to cover plus 2" and cook until done, about 45-60 minutes. (If using canned beans wait to add them til final few minutes of soup cooking.)
  2. MEANWHILE: Melt butter in 4-1/2 quart soup pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and cook for 2 minutes; add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add broth and celery. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, squash, tomatoes and potato. Simmer for 30 more minutes (vegetables should be fairly tender.)
  3. Stir in undrained pinto beans, frozen corn kernels, tomato paste, oregano, salt, black and red pepper flakes. Cook 5-8 minutes until corn is cooked and soup is “piping hot”. Serve with snipped cilantro, about 1 tablespoon per bowl (optional.)
  4. SLOW COOKER METHOD:
  5. (Notes: Use canned beans instead of dried. Slow cookers vary considerably so these times can only be approximate.)
  6. In a 4 quart (or larger) crock pot, add butter, onion, garlic, chicken broth and celery. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours. Add carrots, squash, tomato and potato and cook 1 1/2 more hours; vegetables should be mostly tender. Add undrained canned beans, corn, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and black and red pepper flakes. Turn cooker to HIGH and cook 15 or more minutes or til vegetables are tender and soup hot. Serve with optional cilantro garnish/topping.
  7. Yield: 3 quarts (or 12 cups which serves 8 people generously.)

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Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving%DV
Serving Size 315g
Recipe makes 8 servings
Calories179
Calories from Fat1911%
Total Fat2.22g3%
Saturated Fat1.09g4%
Trans Fat0.0g
Cholesterol4mg1%
Sodium471mg20%
Potassium883mg25%
Total Carbs31.03g8%
Dietary Fiber7.3g24%
Sugars3.34g2%
Protein9.65g15%

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Menus and Pairings

Salad Foodie

recommends serving this with:

  1. Blue Cornmeal Cornbread

    Salad Foodie

Goes Well With: crusty bread, crackers, flour tortillas, corn bread

Reviews

  • Reply

    Amos Miller

    Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (20)January 20, 2012

    This is a wonderful, healthy & very attractive (even festive) dish! Wouldn't change a thing. Thanks, SF!

    I've cooked/tasted this recipe!

    • Reply

      A.L. Wiebe

      Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (22)January 20, 2012

      This is a beautiful looking soup, SF! I too am happy to see the slow cooker option...since I just bought a new one and am trying to use it for everything I can lol!

      • Reply

        Amy

        Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (24)October 9, 2012

        Oh my, this was soooooo good. I used as much as I could from my garden. Instead of plain oregano I used a Mexican spice blend. And instead of crushed red pepper, I picked a fresh red jalapeno to slit open and let sit in the hot soup until serving. What a wonderful array of flavors; the butternut gave it an awesome taste. Years ago I'd used zucchini but you really need a hearty winter squash.
        My fresh, hot homemade Honey Oat Bread was the perfect compliment. I'll be making this again now that I've re aquainted myself with the recipe.

        I've cooked/tasted this recipe!

        This is a variation

        • Reply

          Frosted Flaker

          Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (26)August 18, 2013

          This tasted wonderful; I loved both the varied healthy ingredients and also the varied vibrant colors. If possible and you have it available, a homemade bread is an awesome compliment to this healthy, tasty soup.

          I've cooked/tasted this recipe!

          Comments

          • Reply

            ShaleeDP

            August 15, 2014

            This looks good. I like to try it.

            • Reply

              Salad Foodie

              October 10, 2012

              Thanks for your review, Amy, and I appreciated your seasoning ideas. How about posting your homemade Honey Oat Bread recipe?

              • Reply

                judee

                January 23, 2012

                What a hearty soup, and I love the crock pot option!

                • Reply

                  Trish Cowper

                  January 16, 2012

                  looks yummy and easy! love the slow cooker option.

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                  Three Sisters Soup (Beans, Corn and Squash Soup) with Crock Pot Option Recipe by Lynne (2024)

                  FAQs

                  What is the three sister method? ›

                  The Iroquois and the Cherokee called corn, bean, and squash the three sisters' because they nurture each other like family when planted together. These agriculturalists placed corn in small hills planting beans around them and interspersing squash throughout of the field.

                  How to make the three sisters? ›

                  Planting the Three Sisters in the order of corn, beans, and squash will ensure that they will grow and mature together and will not grow at the expense of another Sister. Sister Corn should be planted first so that it can grow tall above the other crops.

                  What is the three sister diet? ›

                  The Three Sisters is a vegetable medley of corn, squash and beans that are planted together so each plant can support and nourish each other. Corn, beans and squash have provided nutrition for the Chickasaw people for generations. These three sisters grow together and support each other as they thrive.

                  What is the three sisters planting myth? ›

                  The Three Sisters is the native legend of how the crops corn, beans, and squash came to be grown together in so many different native cultures. This lesson plan and accompanying presentation has the following course objectives: Understand and discuss the cultural significance of the three sisters in Native Cultures.

                  What squash is used for Three Sisters? ›

                  The sisters describe corn, beans, and squash because the three plants grow and thrive together better than they do on their own. Which squash is used for the three sisters? Winter squash is traditionally used for three sisters planting, but you can also use pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, and other types.

                  What kind of beans are the three sisters? ›

                  In modern-day gardens, the Three Sisters consists of these three vegetables:
                  • Pole beans (not bush beans). Common pole beans such as Scarlet Runner or Italian Snap should work. ...
                  • Corn such as sweet corn, dent corn, popcorn, or a combination. ...
                  • Small-leafed squash such as summer squash (zucchini) or winter squash (Hubbard).
                  Jun 20, 2024

                  What corn is best for Three Sisters? ›

                  There are many corn varieties to choose from. Dent, flint, and flour corns are especially suited to this system, while popcorn often does not get tall enough and may be overwhelmed by the beans and pumpkins.

                  What is the three sister rule? ›

                  The Three Sisters planting method, commonly known as companion planting, entails growing corn, beans, and squash together in a mutually beneficial arrangement. It originated in North America around 3000 years ago.

                  What is Three Sisters soup made of? ›

                  Nutrition Facts

                  The three "sisters" in this Native American recipe refer to the corn, beans, and squash.

                  Are corn and beans healthy? ›

                  One cup of cooked corn contains over 15% of recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Bean vines help to stabilize the corn plants, making them stronger in blowing winds. Beans are power-packed sources of protein, fiber and the essential amino acid, lysine.

                  Where did Three Sisters soup originate? ›

                  The Three Sisters Soup recipe is a traditional Native American recipe from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nation. The term “Three Sisters” refers to the three main crops of some North American tribes: maize (corn), squash, and beans.

                  What is the 4 2 3 1 diet? ›

                  The body needs to feed off of itself if it has to. The diet is basically 4-2-3-1. One day, four meals, next day, two, next day three and the next day I would have one meal. Those meals were about 600-800 calories a piece.

                  How do corn beans and squash work together? ›

                  The cornstalk serves as a trellis for the beans to climb, the beans fix nitrogen in the soil, and their twining vines stabilize the maize in high winds, and the wide leaves of the squash plant shade the ground, keeping the soil moist and helping prevent the establishment of weeds.

                  When to plant corn beans and squash? ›

                  Corn, beans and squash are all warm season annuals. Corn is planted after all danger of frost has passed in the spring. Pole (climbing) beans are planted next when the corn is between 4 and 6 inches tall. Plant the squash about 1 week after the beans have sprouted.

                  Why do they call it the Three Sisters? ›

                  The Three Sisters is essentially an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone. The character of the Three Sisters changes throughout the day and throughout the seasons as the sunlight brings out the magnificent colours.

                  What are the three sisters in Native American culture? ›

                  The Three Sisters are represented by corn, beans, and squash and they're an important facet of Indigenous culture and foodways. They're planted in a symbiotic triad where beans are planted at the base of the corn stalks. The stalks offer climbing bean vines support as they reach for sunlight from the earth.

                  What is the story of the 3 sisters? ›

                  The three sisters were said to have fallen in love with three brothers from the neighbouring Nepean tribe. However, marriage to the three brothers was forbidden by local tribal law. Unhappy with this outcome, the three Nepean brothers decided to capture the three sisters and take them back to their tribe for marriage.

                  What is the spiritual value of the three sisters? ›

                  Value to Aboriginals

                  For Darug, Tharawal, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri people The Three Sisters is a spiritual place. It is also a mystical site of legends. The three Sisters provides a visual testament to many dream time stories.

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