13-Bean Good Luck Soup
This recipe was in the ThriftyFun newsletter but this is exactly how I make my bean soup. I also add whatever else I have on hand such as leftover gravy, leftover sausage or beef, etc. it is always good, hearty, and thrifty. I make a huge pot full and freeze some. I do mine in the crock pot and skip the soaking overnight step. Tastes good and I always think of good luck when I make it!
This recipe was in the ThriftyFun newsletter but this is exactly how I make my bean soup. I also add whatever else I have on hand such as leftover gravy, leftover sausage or beef, etc. it is always good, hearty, and thrifty. I make a huge pot full and freeze some. I do mine in the crock pot and skip the soaking overnight step. Tastes good and I always think of good luck when I make it!
- Carbohydrate 136.96838655456 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.5400232936 g
- Fiber 43.7404398212221 g
- Protein 23.56587249184 g
- Saturated Fat 0.987920261104 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (1887g)
- Sodium 308.449905256667 mg
- Sugar 93.2279467333379 g
- Trans Fat 1.064261255144 g
- Calories 621 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash the beans. Cover with water; add 2 tablespoons salt. Soak overnight.
- The next day, drain the beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add the ham and boil for 1-1/2 to 3 hours, or until the beans are fully cooked and tender.
- Add the onions, celery, tomatoes, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked.
- Serve hot.
Salt does not toughen beans during an overnight soak; rather, sodium ions exchange with calcium and magnesium pectates in the seed coats to soften the cellular structure before heat is ever applied. Skeptics often watch multi-bean blends cook unevenly because thirteen different legumes possess distinct starch densities and skin thicknesses, meaning small lentils disintegrate long before massive kidney beans surrender their chalky centers. Acidic ingredients introduced too early will halt pectin breakdown entirely, leaving legumes perpetually crunchy despite hours of boiling.
- Dissolve two tablespoons of salt directly into the soaking water to jump-start cellular softening across all thirteen varietals.
- Maintain a gentle simmer rather than a violent rolling boil to prevent the delicate skins of black-eyed peas and small white beans from completely rupturing.
- Keep tomatoes and other acidic components out of the pot until the beans achieve complete tenderness, because low pH environments reinforce cell walls and halt hydration.
- Simmer the chopped onions, celery, and red bell peppers for a minimum of 30 minutes after the initial bean softening phase to allow cellular aromatics to thoroughly permeate the ham broth.
- Cool leftovers rapidly within two hours before storing them in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to four days.
