Nine-Bean Soup from Lighter, Quicker, Better: Cooking for the Way We Eat Today by Richard Sax and Ma

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups reduced-sodium canned chicken broth, fat skimmed, or Vegetable Broth
• 1 small dried hot chili or a pinch of crushed red pepper
• 4 teaspoons paprika, preferably Hungarian
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 medium-large red or yellow onions, chopped
• ½ pound mixed dried beans
• 6 cups water
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or wine vinegar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 4 scallions, sliced thin on a sharp diagonal