15 BEAN SOUP

15 BEAN SOUP 1 pkg Hurst’s® HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® 8 cups water (use chicken, beef, or vegetable broth for added flavor) 1 lb. smoked sausage, ground sausage (browned in pan), ham hocks or diced ham. Our favorite is to use a leftover hambone with some meat on it. 1 lg. onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp chili powder (optional) 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.) Juice from 1 lemon Optional: Hot sauce or crushed red pepper to taste NO SOAK METHOD In a colander or sieve, rinse beans thoroughly. Sort and inspect for any unwanted debris and discard. Drain and pour beans in a slow cooker with 8 cups of stock/water, onions, meat or ham bone, garlic and chili powder. (Not tomato or lemon juice yet!) Stir to combine. Set slow cooker on high and cook for 5-7 hours then check to make sure beans are tender. The soup can continue to simmer for several hours and will develop more flavor over time. After the beans are tender, remove the ham bone (leave any ham in the pot), stir in the can of diced tomatoes, our Ham Flavor packet, and the lemon juice. Cook for additional 30 minutes then keep warm until ready to serve. We recommend to serve with a freshly baked slice of corn bread! You can also serve over rice as well. Please keep in mind that every time the lid is opened, your cooking time will be longer. Cooking Tips For even more flavor, substitute beef, chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. You can also try 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or 1 lb. beef roast, then shred meat before Step 5 above. As with all dry bean recipes, it's best to wait until AFTER the beans have become tender or fully cooked before adding any acidic ingredients like tomatoes, citrus, vinegars, etc. Remember that this is a NO SOAK recipe, but if you have already soaked the beans that's not a problem, just use 1 cup of water/stock less. Variations on the recipe will work for almost all of Hurst's HamBeens items. If you prefer a more "brothy" soup, add an extra cup of liquid when preparing