Hearty & Healthy
Beans tend to be a staple in most pantries and for good reason. They are hearty and nutritious. They make a great meal and can help you stretch your grocery budget. If you’re trying to reduce the amount of meat you include in your diet, beans are a great meatless meal option. They can supply the protein you need for a healthy, hearty meal. Serve them with corn bread muffins, a green salad, some kind of fruit and you’ll make sure no one leaves the table hungry.
For this recipe, I use a bag of Hurst’s HamBeens Brand 15 Bean Soup. It’s an assortment of dry beans that pack a punch with flavor. I don’t soak the beans overnight. Since I’m cooking them in the slow cooker for a long period of time, presoaking is not necessary. For more information on this point, you can visit the link to the Hurst website. Here’s the link: https://hurstbeans.com/recipes/15-bean-soup-crock-pot-or-slow-cooker-recipe.
I like to add ham hocks or smoked turkey to my 15 Bean Soup. If I’m trying to be more health conscious, I add turkey. When I just want the flavor, I add a couple of ham hocks. Here’s the recipe I like to use when I make this dish for my family.
Instructions
Rinse and sort beans then put them in your slow cooker. Nestle the ham hocks or turkey legs down into beans and liquid. Drop in the carrots, garlic, and onion. Give it a stir then set the slow cooker on high for the next five to seven hours.
After about six hours, the beans should be soft and ready to absorb the seasoning so add the other ingredients — salt, lemon juice, chili powder or Goya seasoning packet. Add the salt 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Taste it. If you need more salt, add the rest. If not, leave it out.
I usually discard the seasoning packet that comes in the bag because I get great flavor from the combination of spices and meat that I’m already using. If you choose to use the seasoning packet provided, now is the time to add it in. Let the soup cook for about another 30 minutes.
If you want to make this a meatless soup, use water or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. There are no meat products in the seasoning packet provided so using it won’t interfere with your meatless option. Ingredients are listed on the bag so be sure to read them if you have questions. For more information about Hurst’s HamBeens Brand 15 Bean Soup, visit N.K. Hurst Corporate at hurstbeans.com.
