14-Bean Soup

Submitted by Mimi in Maine

"This is a hearty soup loaded with healthy goodies. Could be a vegetarian soup--just leave out the meat. Plenty of protein and plenty of veggies. It is a one-dish meal along with some homemade bread and a salad."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 quarts water
• 1 lb mixed beans (usually around 14 different beans in the bag)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 (10 ounce) cans chicken broth (I use College Inn)
• 1 cup chopped celery, diced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 (20 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon basil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 5 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans V8 vegetable juice
• 1⁄2 cup raw rice
• 1 slice deli ham or 1 slice deli turkey, 1 1/2 inch thick slice,cubed

directions

1. Wash and sort beans.
2. Place first 7 ingredients in a large pot.
3. Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat.
4. Allow to stand for 1 hour; return to heat and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer till veggies are tender adding water if necessary (if you add too much water you will need to add another bouillon cube--but be careful, they are salty).
6. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer about 30 minutes.
7. Serve with bread and a green salad.

Reviews

[bvisailor]

Great soup! Made a bunch of minor changes, but that's the beauty of soup! Used boxed low-sodium chicken broth & vegetable stock instead of buillon & water in order to keep the flavor UP and the sodium DOWN. Also skipped the V-8 and added 2 cans of diced tomatoes, one with basil,garlic, & onion. Used 2 smallish ham steaks, and also added a cubed yellow squash in the last hour of cooking. Simmered it all day & served with homemade multi-grain bread. Yum!

 

[Gerry]

This is an excellent Bean Soup and just enough different to add variety to the soup menu for us soup lovers. Cubed a regular slice of ham and found the V-8 juice added a new to us taste - it is an all around good tasting soup! Served with crusty rolls this was a meal in itself. Thank you Mimi for sharing this delicious Bean Soup.