16 Bean Soup

This is a great recipe that I found online for making 16 bean soup. I changed it slightly, because the original instructions had you add the beans dry, without soaking or rinsing them beforehand. I much prefer to soak them and discard the rinse water before eating them, just personal preference I guess.

16 BEAN SOUP

1/2 pkg. 16 bean soup

1/2 lb Italian pork sausage

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cans low sodium chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes, pureed

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1/2 lb baby carrots, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse beans and remove foreign material. Place in large pot and add water until beans are covered and water is 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add more water to cover beans if needed. Let soak overnight. Discard water and rinse well.

Crumble sausage in skillet with olive oil and saute until slightly browned. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add garlic. Add chicken broth to deglaze pan and transfer to a crockpot.

Add remaining ingredients except for tomatoes. Set crockpot to high setting and cook for 2 hours, then set to low and simmer until beans are very tender. Add tomatoes during final hour of cooking. Remove bay leaves before serving.