Sweet Girl’s Bean Soup

Today was one of those perfect fall days that I absolutely love! I decided to make a pot of my favorite soup. My family has made this soup since I was a little kid. We used to buy the beans in a mix and just follow the directions on the package. Then, my sister and I realized that we could make our own bean mix (for less money) to use with the recipe and we have tweaked it to perfection. Well, I think it’s perfection.

If you plan on being home all day and it’s foggy and cool outside, it is the perfect time to make this soup. It also makes a huge pot so there is plenty for the next day, when it tastes even better!

Oh, and Danny calls it Sweet Girl’s Bean Soup because, well, I make it and he calls me “Sweet Girl”…

Ingredients:
2¼ cups mixed beans
3 quarts water
1 ham hock (I also sometimes use a ham bone from a spiral ham)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
3 stalks celery
2 cloves minced garlic
16 oz stewed tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 lb. summer sausage, diced
½ cup red wine

1) Wash and pick over beans thoroughly, drain. Add 3 quarts water, ham hock, and spices.  Simmer, covered 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

2) Add undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, and garlic. Simmer 1-1/2 hours until thickened.

3) Remove rind from ham and cut up ham pieces. Add sausage, chicken, ham, and wine.  Simmer at least 30-45 minutes.

The grocery store that I go to has a really nice bulk section so I usually just get a bunch of different kinds of dry beans and mix them together, but the following is a rough recipe for what I mix up and keep in a big container in the pantry:

Sweet Girl’s Bean Soup Mix
•    1lb dried navy beans
•    1lb dried pinto beans
•    1lb dried Great Northern beans
•    1lb split peas
•    1lb yellow split peas
•    1lb dried black-eyed peas
•    1lb lentils
•    1lb dried baby lima beans
•    1lb dried lima beans
•    1lb dried red beans