Christie C. Three Sisters Soup is not only nutritious and flavorful, but also carries cultural and historical significance. This easy soup uses local ingredients, but can be adjusted to include whatever you have on hand in your kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make
- 13 wholesome ingredients
- 100% Vegan
- Ingredients are interchangeable
- Indigenous American cuisine
As stated in my Summer 2024 Mood Board, I thought it would be fun to get more creative with food and attempt some foods using ingredients indigenous to North America. Check out Indigenous American Ingredient Directory for vendors that sell indigenous ingredients.
Three Sisters Soup is a traditional Native American dish that features three main ingredients: corn, beans, and squash. These ingredients are known as the “Three Sisters” because they were historically grown together in a symbiotic farming method used by many Indigenous peoples in North America. This planting technique involves growing corn to provide a structure for the beans to climb, beans to fix nitrogen in the soil, and squash to spread along the ground to prevent weeds and retain moisture.
Based on an Authentic Recipe
I occasionally mention how much of a fan I am of Chef Sean Sherman’s work. He creates dishes based on “pre-colonial indigenous food systems,” which means that ingredients such as chicken, dairy, sugar, and wheat are out. This is my interpretation of his Three Sisters Soup using ingredients I had available in my own kitchen.
My recipe includes seasonal squash, tepary beans, and fresh corn. It has a savory, slightly sweet flavor, and the squash just melts on your tongue!
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Special Tools and Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker or Dutch oven
- Soup ladel
Three Sisters Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 onions, mixture of yellow, red, green, and/or shallots
- 4 cups (800ml) corn or bean stock, vegetable stock can be used as a substitute
- 3 winter squash such as honey nut or delicata squash, seeds removed and cut into cubes
- 1 sprig cedar
- 1-2 cups white tepary beans, or any variety of white bean
- 1 cup 15 oz (425g) corn, drained
- 1 sprig chopped sage
- 2 tbsp ground sumac
- smoked salt to taste
Instructions
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Place all ingredients into a 6-quart slow cooker or Dutch oven. Cover the soup with a lid.
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If using a slow cooker, cook the stew on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
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If using a Dutch oven, preheat your oven to 225°F (107°C). Bring the soup to a simmer on stovetop, then cook the soup for 4 to 5 hours in the oven.
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When the soup is ready, adjust the salt to taste. Enjoy alone or with cornbread.
References
Sherman, S., (2017). The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen. University of Minnesota Press
Harris, M., (3003). Botanica North America: The Illustrated Guide to Our Native Plants, Their Botany, History, and the Way They Have Shaped Our World. Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
