15 Bean Soup, Crock Pot Recipe

15 bean soup in a black bowl served with bread.

Learn what it takes to make a 15 bean soup superior in flavor from other recipes you've tried. Using a well crafted bean soup seasoning mix and a ham bone will yield a smoky and complex flavor.

Course Soup, Stews and Chilis

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 7

Total Time 7 30

Servings

Calories 283kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

2 cups Dried beans mixed. Rinsed and misfits removed.
8 cups Chicken Stock
1 meaty Ham hock or ham bone with some meat attached
2 Bay leaves
1 Dried Chile Pepper Guajilla, or other
2 Tablespoon Bean Soup Mix Soup Seasoning Mix Recipe
2 Tablespoons Neutral oil canola or vegetable oil works well here.
1 large Sweet onion chopped
2 large Carrots peeled and chopped
2 large Celery ribs chopped, plus add some leaves
2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes Chopped.
4 ounces Green beans fresh, sliced
3 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped
3 Teaspoons Pickapeppa Sauce or Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
14.5 ounces Tomatoes canned, small chopped

Instructions

Measure 2 cups mixed beans. Rinse and cover with enough water to cover beans by a couple of inches. Let soak over night.
The next morning, drain water from beans and place them in the crockpot. Pour in chicken stock. Add ham hock and float in two bay leaves. Add the dried chile pepper. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until beans are tender. The cooking time will depend on the freshness of the beans.
After four hours of cooking, heat oil in a large fry pan. Add chopped onions, carrot, celery, potatoes and green beans. Fry, cooking over medium high heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. About 30 seconds.
Add the vegetable mixture, soup seasoning mix, Pickapeppa sauce and honey to the crockpot and cook until potatoes are tender. About one to 1 ½ hours.
Remove the ham hock, shred the meat and return the meat to the soup and stir well. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Notes

Riffs on Crockpot Bean Soup:

Substitute diced chicken thighs for the ham, or even cooked and drained sausage. Breakfast sausage or andouille cajun sausage would work nicely. Or for a vegetarian version, just leave the meat out. The seasoning mix provides plenty of outstanding flavor.

Tips For Success:

Don't fret, if you haven't soaked the beans, go ahead and cook them, knowing it will take a little longer for them to soften.
Many believe that adding salt or acids like tomato or vinegar too early in the cooking process will prevent the beans from getting soft. This can be especially important if using older beans. Source: Rancho Gordo.
Store dried beans in a cool dark place in a glass jar or air-tight container with a lid. They will be good for about two years. After that, they are still edible, but the quality will have deteriorated.
If you'l like to thicken the soup, take a large fork and mash some of the cooked beans against the side of the pan. This mash will thicken the soup.
You can expect one cup of dried beans to yield about 3 cups of cooked beans.
Be careful with adding salt. A ham hock can be quite salty. Taste before salting.
15-bean soup is even better the next day.

Soup Seasoning Mix Recipe Link for 15-Bean Soup

Nutrition