15 Bean Soup

 

I know, I know. I shouldn’t be eating beans too much, but I just can’t help it – I love them! And so does hubby. Surely, once in a while would be OK, right?

So here’s a funny story. I called hubby at work and proudly told him that we were having 15 Bean Soup for dinner that day. His answer was, “15? I thought it was 16 Bean Soup. Did you remove one kind of bean from the packet?” Hahahaha. I don’t think I would go that far as to weed out that packet of one certain type of bean. Apparently, when he was growing up, there were 16 kinds of bean in that package or so he remembers. Now, its only 15. Aaah, inflation. ;-)

This would have been perfect with ham bone (a.k.a. “the gift that keeps on giving”) but I think we gave our dog the hambone. Doggone it! (pardon the pun!). By the way, I followed the recipe at the back of the package (with some minor tweaking) -  it already came with the seasoning so might as well give it a try! Semi-homemade much? 

 
What you need:

1 pound pork loin, cut into bite-size pieces

½ cup onion, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper

*seasoning packet included in package


What to do: 

Place beans in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts of water. Allow beans to soak overnight, or at least  8 hours.

After soaking, drain water and add anther 2 quarts of water. Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.

Melt butter in a skillet and saute garlic, onion, carrots, and pork loin over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Add this mixture, and the flavor packet to the beans. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes, or until beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Add other veggies like celery or potato.
2. Not a pork fan? Use chicken instead.
3. Sausage is a great addition too!
4. Want a thicker soup? Reduce the amount of water.