Finally…success!! I’ve tried to make this soup in the past with dried beans and failed…twice! I followed the instructions on how to do a “quick soak” the first time and used the “overnight soak” the second time, but both times the beans turned out “crunchy”, as my boys described the soup. I hoped they might possibly be better the next day after “soaking in the soup” overnight in the fridge, but to no avail. It was a total failure! Twice! So I decided NEVER AGAIN would I use dried beans for bean soup. I don’t know what the problem was, but this time I used canned beans (& the kids were very scared), and it turned out awesome!! My mama has made this recipe for years (both ways) & I was determined to have success on this recipe that I love. Ta da!! If you have no crunchy beans problems with dried beans, then please feel free to use them in this recipe, but I refused to include that option in the ingredients list, because I was scared for you. (Btw, I’ve been making homemade pinto beans for refried beans on taco night for years using dried beans, so I’m completely at a loss for why this happened.)
And you’ll notice in the pic above the yummy bread accompanying my bean soup! You’ll definitely want to go here to get that recipe: Frugal Living NW
Old Fashioned Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- ham fat and/or bone or ham hock
- ham bite sized
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 qt tomatoes canned
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 10 potatoes (I used red) whatever amount you like bite sized
- 8-10 cans great northern beans
- water or broth or combo of both
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
-
In a large soup pot, sauté onions, ham fat, & ham for a few minutes, then add garlic & cook 2-3 minutes. Mash tomatoes (to make smaller pieces) & add to pot. Add bay leaves & potatoes. Add water/broth to cover ingredients. Cover & simmer 2.5 hrs. If soup is too thin, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. If too thick, add more water. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes longer. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Leave A Comment