13 Bean Soup can be made with a pre-made blend of 13 different dried beans, the 2 lb. bag I bought contained: navy, black, red, pinto, lima, garbanzo, northern, kidney, black-eyed, yellow split, green split, and lentils. Traditionally the beans are prepared with a ham hock, however, you don’t need to add meat to make this soup both hearty and satisfying. It’s cheap eats and good use of your dried and canned food storage and is even better warmed up the next day. Serve up with rice, a loaf of bread and a green salad.
13-Bean Soup (vegan, vegetarian or not)
- 2 lb. bag dried 13 bean soup mix (rinsed, drained and soaked overnight)
- 32 oz. of water and/or vegetable or chicken broth (enough liquid to cover the beans by 2 inches)
- 1 diced onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- Choose one: 2-3 strips of fried bacon, 1-2 TB. olive oil or butter (for pre-sauteeing onions and veggies)
- 1—10 oz. can diced tomatoes
- suggested seasonings: chili powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, bay leaf
- 1 or 2 TB. brown sugar
- salt and black pepper to taste
- In a large stock or crockpot, combine beans and water/broth, to a boil and then simmer at low heat for 6-8 hours until tender.
- In a skillet, sautee onion and garlic w bacon, olive oil or butter until tender and caramelized.
- Add sauteed items into the beans as they cook, can of tomatoes, spices and add in sugar.
- When beans are soft, salt and pepper to taste. Salt can halt the softening of the beans, so wait until they are ready to serve.
- Ladle on rice, or serve as soup.
I’ve been loving over this pot of beans all day, and notwithstanding that it all started with a 5.7 on the Richter scale, it’s so delicious and made a comforting meal. Serves at least 8, so this soup can and should be shared, a portion can also be placed in an air-tight container and stored for later.
Be well!!
