Beans, beans, beans: Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup

Beans, Beans, Beans!



Above and Below:  Toni's 10 Bean Soup Mix from www.womensbeanproject.com





I've been on a soup kick lately.  It started with a great pot of Lentil Soup (recipe HERE), which led me to digging around in my pantry.  Next, I made 10 Bean Soup (I had this 10 bean/grain soup mix in my pantry) with carrots, celery, onion, and canned diced tomatoes.  I learned a lot in the process of making this soup.  You can't hurry the process of making bean soup from dried beans.  I tried to soak my bean mix all day and then simmer the soup in the evening.  At 10:00 pm, I was finally able to put my soup in the refrigerator but some of the beans were still a little crunchy firm.  You know the Phil Collins song with the lyrics... "You can't hurry love; No, you just have to wait...".  Well, the same is true for beans.  But the soup was still good.

Next I made a pot of split pea soup (recipe HERE).  Once it was gone, I was on to 15 bean soup (this mix was also in my pantry).  I did so much better this time around and my soup is delicious. But before I tell you more about the 15 bean soup, let me tell you my other obsession discovery.  It might sound strange/odd/bizarre, BUT this is so good.  For all my bean/lentil soups (except for the split pea soup), I have been topping each bowl of soup with a chopped hard boiled egg, a generous amount of freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, and a big splash of balsamic vinegar. I can't even tell you how good this is. I think these toppings are the reason I keep making more bean soup!

I hope you try it.  I hope you like it.  Tell me what you think if you do try it.
I hope you don't think I am weird.  It's so good.
You can leave out the egg and just have parsley and balsamic vinegar; that's good too!










This recipe is more of a timeline; it will explain to you how I made my most recent pot of bean soup.  The beans broke down so nicely that the soup actually has a creamy texture and I love it!  This recipe is more about my process; you can chose to add or subtract ingredients based upon what you have on hand or what you like or don't like.  Most of my soups include carrots, celery, and onion, and sometimes I add in a can of diced tomatoes.  For this last pot of soup, I used canned diced tomatoes, onions, and carrots; an orange bell pepper took the place of celery since I had none.  I meant to add fresh spinach into my soup but actually forgot it.

15 Bean Soup (Slow Cooker Recipe)

1 bag (Hurst's brand) 15 bean soup mix (20 ounce size); I threw out the spice packet
8 cups of water
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 large sweet onion (diced)
3 to 4 carrots (diced)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce size)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, and marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more if desired
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Morning: Pick through the beans in search of any pebbles or debris. Rinse bean mixture well under running water in a colander/strainer and dump rinsed beans into a large bowl.  Cover beans with water and allow to sit on the countertop undisturbed all day.

Sometime... while the beans are soaking... chop up your veggies and keep in the refrigerator until later in the process.

Before bedtime:  Pour the soaked beans into a colander/strainer and rinse well under running water.  Pour the beans into a large slow cooker (Crock Pot). Cover beans with 8 cups of cold water.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and set on LOW setting.  Simmer beans all night long.

Morning: When you first get up, take the lid off the slow cooker and add in the chopped veggies (that you prepped the day before) and the can of diced tomatoes. Stir the veggies into the beans, cover with the slow cooker lid, and allow the soup to cook about 3 hours longer on LOW setting, until the veggies are the desired tenderness.  Season the soup as desired or as described above, adding more salt and pepper to suit your taste/preference.

Recommended garnishes: balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, and chopped hard boiled egg.

So there you have it! A great big ol' pot of bean soup.  I put half of the soup into the freezer and am enjoy the other half for lunches this week.  Enjoy!