Souper Bowl of Caring Bean Soup

Each year, the Girls’ Friendly Society in Los Angeles participates in the Super Bowl of Caring. Some of our branches make a packaged soup mix and sell it at church to raise money for the food pantries in our area. Below is a recipe for Bean Soup adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.

 

Basic Bean Soup Mix

Ingredients:

Dried-bean mix:
1 pound dried kidney beans
1 pound dried yellow lentils
1 pound green split peas
1 pound dried black beans
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
Spice mix:
5 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons dried basil
5 teaspoons dried rosemary
5 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
5 bay leaves

Preparation:

To prepare dried-bean mix, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Divide the bean mixture into 5 equal portions (about 2 1/2 cups each), and place in airtight containers.
To prepare spice mix, combine the salt and the next 6 ingredients (salt through bay leaves) in a bowl. Divide spice mix into 5 equal portions. Package separately from the died beans and combine the packages for sale.

 

Include the recipe card available here for the soup below.

Basic Bean Soup
1 package dried bean mix
8 cups water
1 package spice mix
1 smoked ham hock (about 1/2 pound) (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
1 12 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

To prepare the soup, place bean mix in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.
Combine the drained bean mixture, 8 cups water, and the ham hock in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Add 1 packet spice mix, onion, and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours. Uncover; cook 1 hour. Discard bay leaf. Remove ham hock from soup. Remove meat from bone; shred meat with 2 forks. Return meat to soup.

Cooking Light April 1999