I was never BEAN crazy... but this is the best BEAN SOUP I have ever made and eaten, so far! :) All measurements can be altered to suit your desires.. 3 cups dried beans of your choice…I liked a mixed bag, including barley! Rinse very well, look for pebbles, and soak according to directions. I use a slow cooker but a stove top pot is fine, but it will need more attention while the soup simmers. Sizzle in a little oil-1 chopped onion and a few fresh chopped garlic cloves. Pour fresh water in the pot you used to sizzle the onions and garlic, to keep all that flavor and pour this into your crockpot. Add your beans including their liquid. More water can be added at any time. Let beans simmer on medium heat for about 2 hours and test for doneness. Be sure there is enough water always covering the beans. Certain beans will vary in cooking. We like our beans very well done. Any ingredients can be added depending on people’s tastes, but here is what I added to mine… 2 cups diced carrots 2 cups diced celery, celery leaves are fabulous for flavor too 2 large fresh-diced tomatoes ½ diced red pepper 1 tablespoon each of dried basil and oregano, and fresh would be ideal! 2 dried bay leafs Simmer for another 45 minutes, then add: 2 cups diced raw potato Simmer until beans and veggies have desired tenderness. Last of all...I add one carton of Veggie broth, sea salt and cracked black pepper only after the soup has finished cooking. It seems that salt will be absorbed by osmosis into the beans and veggies and the broth will only require more salt, leaving you with an over-salted dish! I hope my instructions were easy to understand. It is quite a basic recipe but very tasty and I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 13:41:06 +0000