Smoky sausage, creamy beans and a garlic paprika thickener stirred in right at the end that makes the whole pot silky. This is pasulj, and it's the coziest and most nostalgic thing I make.

Bowl of pasulj with sliced smoked sausage and a piece of crusty bread, with the full pot behind it

My grandma taught me this one and she made it in a pot the size of a bucket. There's a reason for that, it's better the next day than it is the first, so nobody in my family has ever made a small batch of it.

Bread and a crisp salad is all this needs. However, if you're wanting a proper Balkan spread than add my serbian moussaka and burek to the table.

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What Is Pasulj, and Why Every Serbian House Has a Pot of It
Ingredient Notes
Instructions for Pasulj
My Grandma's Pasulj Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions for Pasulj
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What Is Pasulj, and Why Every Serbian House Has a Pot of It

Pasulj is a Serbian bean soup, and it's the one thing every Balkan family knows how to make without looking anything up. What separates it from any other bean soup is the zaprška.

You cook flour in fat, take it off the heat, stir in the smoked paprika, then pour it into the pot. That's the moment it becomes pasulj.

Every family makes it differently. Some add tomato, some use ribs instead of sausage, some skip the meat entirely for fasting days. This is my grandma's, which means white kidney and romano beans and a seriously hearty serving of smoked sausage.

Ingredient Notes

Overhead bowl of Serbian bean soup with smoked sausage, parsley and cracked pepper, served with bread

Dried beans, not canned. The starch coming off dried beans is doing half the thickening, so canned gives you a thinner soup. If you use canned, add them near the end. Tetovac beans are the traditional ones, big and creamy, but good luck finding them outside the Balkans. I use white kidney and romano.
Smoked sausage. This is where all the flavor comes from, so buy an actual smoked sausage rather than a fresh one. Kielbasa is the easiest swap. Chorizo works too and pushes it spicier.
Smoked ribs or bacon. Optional, but it's what makes a pot taste like somebody's grandma made it. Ham hocks do the same job.
Animal fat or butter. Traditionally lard, and you can taste the difference in the zaprška. Butter is what I use most. Oil works and keeps it dairy free.
Smoked paprika. The pan has to be off the heat before this goes in. Paprika burns in seconds and turns the whole pot bitter, and it's the one place this recipe goes wrong.
Salt, at the end. Smoked sausage and smoked meat bring a lot of salt with them. Taste first, then season.

See recipe card for remaining ingredients & quantities.

Instructions for Pasulj

Dried white kidney and romano beans soaking in a bowl of water

Submerge beans in water & cover overnight.

Sliced smoked sausage, soaked beans, onions and carrots in a pot before the water goes in

Sauté onions, carrots & add in sausage, beans & water.

Flour, garlic and smoked paprika whisked into fat in a pan to make the zaprška

In a separate pan, prepare the thickener.

Finished pot of pasulj, thickened and stirred through with fresh parsley

Add in the thickener, seasonings & parsley. Enjoy!

My Grandma's Pasulj Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Dried beans simmered slow with smoked sausage, finished with a garlic and paprika thickener that turns the broth silky.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Soaking Beans: 6

Total Time 1 10

Servings: 6 people

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Serbian

Calories: 799

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the Soup:

2 tablespoon Oil
2 tablespoon Animal Fat or Butter
1 ½ cup Dried White Kidney Beans
1 ½ cup Dried Romano Beans
4 Smoked Sausages roughly chopped
2 Onions finely diced
2 Carrots shredded or diced
1 Dried Bay leaf
½ lb Smoked Ribs or Smoked Bacon optional
2 ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Vegetable Seasoning

For the Thickener:

¼ cup Animal fat or Butter
4 cloves Garlic grated
2 tablespoon Flour
1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika

Equipment

large pot
Large Bowl
Cutting Board
Knife
Strainer
Measuring Cups & Spoons

Method

Prepare the Beans: Soak and cover beans for at least 6 hours, then drain. Boil the beans in fresh water for 20 minutes. Drain again and set aside.
Cook the Sausage: In a large soup pot, heat oil and brown the smoked sausage for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Sauté the Vegetables: In the same pot, heat animal fat or butter. Sauté the onions, carrots, and salt for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
Combine: Add the beans, sausage, about 4 liters of water, bay leaf, and any optional smoked meat to the pot and . Cook on medium heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more cups of water if needed to keep the pot full.
Make the Thickener: In a small pan, heat animal fat or butter. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 more seconds. Add smoked paprika, stir, and remove from heat.
Thicken the Soup: Slowly pour the thickener into the soup while stirring. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 799kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 34gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 2256mgPotassium: 1872mgFiber: 21gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 4226IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 222mgIron: 10mg

Notes

Storage

Let it cool down, then it keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and honestly it's better on day two than day one.
Reheat it slowly on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes with a splash of water, since it thickens up a lot overnight.
It freezes really well too, up to 3 months, just thaw it in the fridge the night before.

Pour the thickener in slowly while stirring, or it goes lumpy and never quite smooths out.

Keep the pot topped up as it cooks. The beans drink more water than you expect and it thickens fast at the end.

Taste before you salt. Between the sausage and the smoked meat there's a lot of salt in here already.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Close up of pasulj showing smoked sausage, white beans and pieces of smoked meat in a thick paprika broth

Frequently Asked Questions for Pasulj

Can I make pasulj vegetarian?
Yes, and it's traditional. Skip the sausage and smoked meat, use oil instead of animal fat, and lean harder on the smoked paprika. It's what gets made during fasting periods.

Should pasulj be soupy or thick?
Both are right, it depends on the family. Mine is somewhere in the middle. If you want it thicker, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot.

What's the difference between pasulj and prebranac?
Same beans, different dish. Pasulj is a soup you simmer on the stove. Prebranac is baked in the oven with a lot of onions and usually no meat, so it comes out thick rather than soupy.

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