15 BEAN SOUP

In the dried bean/pea section of the supermarket there is a packet of 15 beans.  It makes a hearty and very tasty bean soup.  With ham and sausage added it becomes quite a yummy meal.  Make a pan of Electra’s Jalapeno Cornbread to go with it, and the men will be very happy – the ladies will smile as well.   It is perfect for a cold winter’s day--

Hurst’s HamBeens 15 Bean Soup 20 oz. pkg.

Hambone or hamhocks*

1 lg. onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles

Seasoning packet from soup mix

1 TB chili powder

1 lg. ham steak, or 2 small, diced in ½” pieces*

1 lb. smoked sausage links, halved lengthwise then sliced in about 1/3” slices

Rinse the beans several times and then soak overnight in a dutch oven with about 2” of water above the beans. 

Rinse the beans and pot and put the beans back in the pot.  Cover them again with 2” of water.  Add the hambone, onion, celery, garlic, Rotel, seasoning packet and chili powder.  Bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat uncovered for a couple of hours, or until the beans and veggies are tender and the liquid has begun to thicken.  Stir it occasionally to be sure it doesn't stick.  You may need to add a little water occasionally.  Broth of some kind is always better than water because it adds flavor instead of thinning out your seasonings.  A bouillon cube thrown into some boiling water will work as well.

Add the ham and sausage and simmer about 15 minutes more.  Add salt and pepper if needed.

*Any time I have a bone-in ham I always save the last bit of ham on it and make this soup. (It can be frozen to use at a later date if you desire.)  If it is a spiral-cut ham it is perfect because as it cooks it falls off the bone and is already cut in bite-size pieces.  If I don’t have my own hambone I have saved then I use hamhocks and buy ham steak.