Easy 15 Bean Soup

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What is 15 bean soup? All it is really is a 1-pound bag of mixed beans. If you live in the states it is available in every major, and most minor, grocery stores across the country. At least every one I've shopped in. Don't know if it is available outside the states.

The official 15 bean mix is a packaged dry bean soup mix from the N.K. Hurst Co. The package comes with a flavoring packet inside, along with the beans. Honestly, I toss the flavoring packet in the rubbish bin. The beans in the package include at least 15 of the following varieties of dried beans, peas, and lentils: black beans, small red beans, kidney beans, white kidney beans, navy beans, great northern beans, Large and Baby lima beans, pinto beans, Green and Yellow split peas, black-eyed peas, variety of lentils, Red Chief, Eston, Pardina, Crimson, Cranberry beans, chick peas, Small white beans, and Pink Beans.

I suppose you could make your own 15 bean blend, but for most that would entail buying fifteen 1-pound bags of beans. If your local co-op or farmers market offered a bulk bean section it would be very doable.

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A Yummy Pork And Bean Soup

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Sort the beans by spreading them out on a sheet pan. Look for any debris like rocks and small pieces of twigs or stalks. While you are sorting remove any beans that look shriveled or damaged.

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Once they are sorted transfer them to a large pot.

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 Cover the beans with water and stir well to rinse.

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After thoroughly rinsing, drain in a strainer or colander.

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Using the quick soak method, place the sorted beans into a pot, cover with water by 2-inches and bring to a full boil.

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Remove from heat and let stand for at least an hour. Drain the beans through a strainer and set aside.

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Cubed pork butt.

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The aromatic ingredients: onions, celery, garlic, oregano, and sage.

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Caramelize the pork and remove. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn translucent. Add the celery and garlic to the pot. Cook until the onion begins to caramelize. Add the sage oregano and the meat back in along with the stock then add the beans. Now add enough water to just cover the beans.

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Simple And Delicious 15 Bean Soup Recipe.

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• Yield: 4 quarts
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Soak Time: 1 hour, or overnight
• Cook Time: 2 hours

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Ingredients

• 1 pound bag mixed beans
• Peanut oil to coat
• 700 grams / 25 ounces pork butt, cubed into bite size pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs sage, picked and chopped
• 3 sprigs oregano, picked and chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cracked pepper, to taste
• 794 grams / 28-ounce can organic San Marzano tomatoes

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Method

1. Start by sorting the beans. Spread them out on a sheet pan and look for any debris like rocks and small pieces of twigs or stalks. While you are sorting remove any beans that look shriveled or damaged. Once they are sorted transfer them to a colander and rinse well under running water. Alternatively, you can transfer them to a pot and cover with water. Then stir well to rinse and pour through a colander.
2. Next you soak the beans and there are two ways to soak them. Using the overnight method, add the beans to a pot and cover with cold water. Make sure to cover by about 2 inches. Place the pot in the refrigerator and leave overnight. The second method, called the quick soak method, is to place the sorted beans into a pot, cover with water by 2-inches and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and let stand for at least an hour. Drain the beans through a strainer and set aside.
3. Once the beans are ready, in an 8-quart pot caramelize the pork with enough peanut oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Get the pan smoking hot, add the oil, and then add half the pork. Once it caramelizes remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate and caramelize the rest of the pork. Remove the second batch, combine with the first batch, and set the pork aside.
4. Add the onion to the pot and cook until it begins to turn translucent. Add the celery and garlic to the pot. Cook until the onion begins to caramelize.
5. Add the sage and oregano and stir. Add the meat back in along with any juices that collected in the bottom of the plate. Add the chicken stock to the pan and add the beans. Now add enough water to just cover the beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly until the beans are done. When the beans are done, Add the tomatoes by taking each tomato and squeezing it in the palm of your hand and through your fingers into the soup. Add the tomato juice from the can to the soup as well. Stir well and return to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve.

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Notes

1. In the ingredients I recommend organic tomatoes. The reason for this is that tomatoes are a member of the "Dirty Dozen". That's a list of fruits and vegetables that are particularly susceptible to pesticide build up due to their thin skins. If you don't want to buy organic produce you really should, at least, use organic produce from the dirty dozen list.
2. Note that I added the tomatoes at the very end of the cooking cycle. That is because acidic ingredients cause the beans to toughen and you will never get them soft if you add acidic ingredients at the beginning of the cooking cycle. This is true of any cooked beans, not just 15 bean soup.
3. When you are cooking the beans make certain that the kidney beans are cooked through. This is important because raw or undercooked kidney beans contain a toxin that will make you sick if you eat them in their uncooked or partially cooked state.

Tags: 15 bean soup, pork and bean soup

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