Bean Soup Recipe

Awhile back I posted about my family's favourite soup and was asked for the recipe. Here it is...


5-Bean Soup

3/4 cup of each: pinto, navy, lima, great northern beans and split peas
3 cubes veggie bouillon
3Tbsp. dried chives
1tsp. dried savory
1tsp. salt (only add this after the beans have cooked)
1/2tsp. cumin
1/2tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
2-1/2 quarts water
14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes
*adding broken bits of dried kombu strips (about 3 strips) to when cooking the beans may help reduce the flatuence beans cause.


Sort and wash all beans. Soak overnight OR.... after washing beans put them in a large enough pot to completely cover with water and bring to boil; cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Return to pot and add spices and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and heat through.

**The method I use is to soak the beans overnight and then rinse them and add the water given in the recipe to cook them. I bring them to a good boil then lower the heat and add the seasonings (all except the salt, as adding this too early in the cooking will make the beans tough) to the beans. Simmer the beans for a good 1-1/2 hours or more (until beans are tender). The last step before serving is adding in the canned tomatoes (which I like to puree before adding to soup).
*** Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving.

Enjoy!