15 Bean Soup

A hearty, healthy and fill-you-up big bean soup which is a variety of 15 beans, chopped vegetables and herbs.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 2 30

Total Time: 3

Servings: servings

Calories: 227kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

1 package 20-ounce of 15-bean soup mix
Ham hock or ham shank
2 quarts water
10 cups chicken broth
1 large onion diced
2 cans 16-ounces each diced tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper diced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 stalks 8” long of celery, diced
1 cup celery leaves chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 carrots (8” long) diced
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of fresh thyme tied together with string
1 teaspoon table salt See Notes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
8 ounces diced lean ham (optional

Instructions

The Beans:

Spread the bean mix out on a tray or large plate and sort through them, removing and tossing out any small rocks that may have been packaged with the beans.
Place the sorted beans in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Add the beans to a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover the beans by 4 inches. Soak the beans uncovered for 2 hours.

While the beans are soaking,

In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, add the ham hock, cover with the 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for two hours.
Drain the beans and add them to the soup pot with the cooked ham hock, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about one hour.
Add the diced vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, coriander, salt and black pepper to the soup pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for another 45 minutes or until the largest beans of the bean mix is tender.
Remove the bay leaves and the thyme bundle and discard.
Transfer the ham bone to a cutting board and when it is cool, remove as much of the meat as possible and reserve.
Ladle out 4 cups of the beans and vegetables and pulse them in a blender or food processor, being careful to not over fill the container with the hot beans, process in batches if necessary.
Return the processed beans to the soup pot and stir to combine with the remaining beans. Stir in the lemon juice and the reserved chopped ham, adjust the seasoning if necessary, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Beans are notoriously known for causing bloating and gas. You can cut down on this a little by holding back the salt until the beans are almost tender and stirring it in with 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar breaks down the indigestible sugars to help digestion.

Nutrition