Bean Soup Recipes, Please

[eaglei]

I have a one-pound package of assorted dried beans and am wondering what your best soup recipes for this would be - something simple and not spice-y hot.

 

I'll check back tomorrow as right now I am battling a huge headache . . .

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Photo Ninja]

Soak the beans

Cook the beans, drain them

Sautee some onions and garlic in a pot. If you don't like those, then skip it.

Put the cooked beans into the pot and add either chicken broth or beef broth

Add a can of diced tomatoes

Add some cooked hamburger or chicken, if you want to.

Add whatever spices you like. If you added onion and garlic then you won't need to add much. Try some Italian seasoning or some curry powder. Not enough to be overwhelming, just enough to taste good.

 

Anyone who wants it spicier can add hot sauce to his bowl.

[tadah]

I like Deborah Madison's bean soup with rosemary and pasta. It's simple and tasty. I just searched for it and found this rendition:

 

http://ebeth.typepad.com/kitchen_comforts/2007/11/white-bean-soup.html

 

I skip the whole rosemary oil thing. The original recipe doesn't call for red pepper flakes. I do use the fresh rosemary as called for in the soup recipe, then add some dried oregano, marjoram, or other herbs and spices to liven it up a bit. I find 2 teaspoons of salt is too much -- 1 to 1 1/2 suits my family better. Bon appetit!

[Audrey]

When I have lots of beans left, I mix them all together, add a handful of barley, toss it all in the crockpot, throw in a smoked ham hock, a couple of bay leaves and a diced onion, add enough broth to cover plus a couple of inches, then let it cook all day. I add salt and pepper to taste at the end. It's very simple, but something about all the beans mingling together makes the taste so much more than if I'd used just one kind of bean.

[eaglei]

Thanks Everyone! Each of these recipes sounds tasty, and simple to make. I'll be making one of them this week (then the others a couple of weeks apart). I'm eager to try each! (I actually have a few packages of dried assorted beans - they were on a huge mark-down clearance with an expiration still far in the future). :)

[AHASRADA]

I just made one last night in the crock pot!

 

-Soak beans overnight

-Sauté 2 diced onions, 2-4 minced garlic cloves, 1-2 bell peppers (any color) and 4-6 stalks of celery.

-put drained beans and vegetables in the crock pot with:

1 quart of broth

1 quart of water

3 tsp. Mixed Italian dried herbs

Salt & pepper to taste

-Cook on low for 8 hours

-Add fresh spinach and diced kielbasa or cooked sausage in the final hour