Three Sisters Soup is a delicious harvest soup made with the nourishing trio of corn, squash, and beans. This authentic Native American soup is a family favorite!
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three sisters soup celebrates the fall harvest
The three sisters refers to the combination of corn, beans, and squash, as well as to a native American companion planting technique that paired the three crops together for better productivity, and sustainable land use. The three foods have been staples in the diets of many tribes (from the Iroquois in the North, the Chickasaw in the South, and the Hopi and Navajo Nations in the Southwest) over the centuries, and this soup is a celebration of that magical trio. The whole family will love this hearty healthy soup, and it provides a great story and learning op as well!
meet the three sisters
These three crops not only support each other as they grow, they have been critically important foods to Native Americans, and are particularly nourishing. In three sisters soup corn, beans and squash are a complete nutritional package with carbohydrates from the corn, protein from the beans (they provide the missing amino acids in the corn) and essential vitamins and minerals from the squash.
- CORN ~ the tall corn provides support for the beans vines to grow on.
- BEANS ~ add nitrogen into the soil to fertilize the corn and squash. These can be fresh or dried beans.
- SQUASH ~ this refers to both winter and summer squash, both of which are low to the ground crops which provide shade to keep the ground moist and prevent weeds.
ingredients for three sisters soup
There is no one authentic recipe for this soup ~ it can be made, and is made, in a variety of ways, with different combinations of ‘sisters’. Recipes have been passed down through generations in tribes, and have become more modernized in the process. My version uses chicken broth and fire roasted tomatoes for a flavorful broth, potatoes for their satisfaction factor, jalapeño and chipotle powder for a little kick of heat, and black eyed peas because I love them. FYI tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers are all indigenous crops, native to the Americas.
- olive oil
- garlic
- onion
- chicken broth ~ or veggie broth
- fire roasted tomatoes, canned
- red potatoes ~ sweet potatoes would also be nice
- zucchini and/or summer squash
- corn ~ while you could use frozen, I would urge you to slice the kernels off fresh ears, it really makes a difference
- black-eyed peas ~ either canned or dried
- jalapeño ~ makes things pop
- chipotle powder adds a nice smokey heat
- bay leaf ~ I never make soup without it
- cumin
- salt and pepper
change things up!
As I’ve made it, three sisters soup is a wonderful late summer harvest meal, but oh my gosh there are so many ways to vary it.
- USE WINTER SQUASH Bring it into fall and winter by subbing out the summer squash for winter squash. There are SO many varieties to choose from, from pumpkin and butternut to to some of the lesser known types like kabocha. You can even blend canned pumpkin into the soup stock.
- EXPLORE DIFFERENT BEANS When you use winter squash, black beans are an obvious choice, but you could also use pinto or kidney beans.
- USE FRESH BEANS If you’re not into dried or canned legumes, use fresh green or waxed beans.
- Try HOMINY instead of sweet corn.
- ADD CHILES Either canned or fresh, chiles will enhance this soup. Go for mild or spicy. Hatch chiles are a great choice in fall.
- THICKEN THE SOUP Consider adding some masa harina toward the end of cooking, it will give your soup body and a lovely corn flavor. You can also take an immersion blender and blend just a portion of the soup to thicken it up.
- ADD ANIMAL PROTEIN It’s not traditional but you could definitely add some shredded chicken or sausage (chorizo would be nice.)
- ADD CHEESE Again, not traditional, but I sometimes add a shower of queso, Parm, or other aged cheese.
- MAKE THREE SISTERS SOUP VEGAN Switch out the chicken stock with water or vegetable stock.
if you love this three sisters soup I bet you’ll also love
- The Best Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Italian White Bean Soup with Sausage Meatballs
- Broccoli Stilton Soup
- Mushroom and Brie Soup
- German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe) with Bratwurst
“My girl scout troop made this for our Native American Heritage patch festivities. Now I make it a couple times a month. I am not a big cumin or chipotle fan so I replace it with poblano chile diced up and cooked in. This has become a family staple. Love it.”
~ cynthia
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Three Sisters Soup
Equipment
- A large soup pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb red potatoes, diced (no need to peel)
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 28 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper, minced (leave out for less heat)
- 1 zucchini, diced (do not peel)
- 1 summer squash, diced (do not peel)
- 3 ears corn, kernels removed
- 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
garnish (optional)
- fresh parsley
- grated cheese such as Parmesan or Asiago
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and add the diced onion. Saute for five minutes, stirring often, until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two longer.
- Add the potatoes, chipotle powder, cumin, and bay leaves to the pot and cook a couple of more minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- Add the broth and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the jalapeños, if using, at this point too. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer just until the potatoes are just tender, about 8-12 minutes. You can cover the pot if you like, but make sure you're cooking at a simmer, not a full boil.
- Add the zucchini, summer squash, corn and beans, and bring the soup back to a bubble. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add more chipotle or cumin at this point if you like. Cover and let the soup simmer for just a few minutes. You just want to take the raw edge off your veggies. When they taste just barely tender, the soup is finished. Add water if your soup seems too thick.
- Serve the soup topped with fresh parsley, and a sprinkle of cheese, if you like.
Nutrition
This is the perfect spice blend. I was out of beans, but had everything else. We used peas instead. Not ideal, but it did the trick. We thickened it as you recommend. Will make sure we have beans for next time.
I love this soup and every time I make and serve it everyone loves it. The first time I made it was with a group of 3-4 year olds in a cooking class I teach at my preschool. The parents loved it and some of the kids did too. We had to cook it in 1 hour so we had to take some short cuts using frozen veggies except for the zucchini, squash and a homemade tomato sauce using cherry tomatoes from my garden, along with lady peas from my garden that I cooked in chicken broth and fresh rosemary. There were a few other adaptations and it seems every time I make it comes out a little different and everyone loves it. I love the Madison Farmer’s market used to go there with my sister and her family when they lived in Stoughton years ago!
The three sisters according to tradition are beans, corn and squash. It’s incorrect to say that the three sisters can be anything.
Oh I totally agree, but this soup just adds to the trinity!
No, it is not incorrect. You may call it three sisters if you want. My mom made substitutions, sometimes adding kale or spinach, and almost always tomatoes. It is not “incorrect” to switch out for flavor or added variety. Very correct.
I’ve made this soup three times and love it. It’s time to change it up so I’m going to add shredded chicken !! When do I add it please?
I assume you mean cooked shredded chicken…I’d add it toward the end of cooking so it doesn’t get simmered to death.
Thank you. Yes, I guess it is cooked and near the end.
Just wanted to say this recipe gave me a wonderful starting point to make my own soup using your recipe as a base. I doubled the recipe and used pureed pumpkin, mashed potatoes, frozen okra, red lentils, kidney and black beans, peas instead of corn (sadly out of corn), leftover pork shoulder rind, and a trinity with celery/pepper/onion instead of just onion. We are facing insane food prices in Canada and this is a huge help to our grocery budget. I can’t wait to freeze jars of it. Thank you!
I’m curious about the use of black eyed peas. As I understand it black eyed peas are from Africa not from this part of the World, so would certainly not be used in a three sisters soup. This seems like a recipe that’s Native inspired rather than being created by an inspired Native.
I am not sure how you can call this three Sisters when you added so much more then the Three Sisters, when it is basically just the beans corn, preferably White corn, and squash, and maybe some buffalo or venison by adding all the others it is no longer a Native American dish, you now have a succotash NOT three Sisters soup
I appreciate this Rachel. As I mention and I’m sure you know, recipes have been passed down through generations in tribes, and many have become modernized in the process. I focus on the ‘three sisters’ as a concept rather than a strict recipe. As I understand it there is no one official recipe for the soup. I like your idea of adding buffalo or venison, I just spotted bison at Costco, so I may try that!
This is three sisters soup. The ratings for whether you’ve tried it and whether you enjoyed it, not to critique as an “expert.” Please avoid rating things you’ve never tried. Thank you.
This is fantastic. Even my sister – who does not like soup – said I could make it again. That is HIGH praise coming from her. I have made it twice. I switched up the black eyed peas for some white beans I had on hand and I use whatever squash / potatoes are available. it is great every time.