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Peg's Many Bean Soup

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Submitted by Chrissy

Peg’s many bean soup simmers a pound of mixed dried beans with pork, hot Italian sausage, peppers, carrots, and grated potato that thickens the broth naturally. A rib-sticking, two-hour pot of soup.

YIELD

6 servings

PREP

1 hrs

COOK

2 hrs

READY

3 hrs

Peg’s many bean soup is the kind of recipe passed between neighbors on a recipe card with handwritten notes in the margins. The base is a full pound of mixed dried beans, the kind sold as a pre-mixed soup blend with everything from kidney to navy to pinto. Each bean cooks slightly differently, which gives the finished soup textural variety in every spoonful.

The meat goes in raw. No browning, no pre-cook. The two-hour simmer renders the pork and hot Italian sausage gently into the broth while the long cook softens the beans completely. Grated potato is the unusual thickener here. As it dissolves, it releases starch that gives the broth body without adding flour or cornstarch.

Go light on the sage. Peg notes it’s important but easy to overdo, and a heavy hand turns the whole pot bitter. A splash of vinegar or a teaspoon of sugar at the end brightens the soup the same way salt does meat.

Kitchen Tips

  • Soak the beans overnight rather than the quick boil method. Slow soaking gives more even cooking and reduces the cracked-skin look.
  • Skim foam from the surface during the first 30 minutes of simmer for a cleaner-tasting broth.
  • Add the salt only after beans have softened. Salting too early can keep dried beans from softening fully.
  • The soup gets better the next day. Make it ahead and reheat for the deepest flavor.

Variations

  • Use smoked sausage like kielbasa instead of Italian for a different smoky profile.
  • Add a Parmesan rind during the simmer for extra umami depth.
  • Stir in a handful of chopped kale or spinach in the last 10 minutes for color and greens.

Ingredients

1 453.6
POUND G MIXED DRIED BEANS *
1 1
EACH ONION
chopped
2 2
EACH EACH GREEN BELL PEPPER
chopped
3 3
EACH CARROTS
grated
1 1
SMALL SMALL CELERY
finely diced *
1 453.6
POUND G PORK
chop suey pork
1 453.6
1
X POTATOES
grated, to taste *
1 15
TABLESPOON ML BASIL
sweet, dried
1 15
TABLESPOON ML SAGE
ground *
1 5
TEASPOON ML SALT
1 5
TEASPOON ML BLACK PEPPER
1 1
DASH DASH RED PEPPER FLAKE *
1 0.9
QUART L CHICKEN BROTH
thereabouts *

Directions

Presoak (8 hrs) or preboil (1 hr) beans, drain and rinse.

Add chicken stock to soup pot and add beans.

Turn heat on low.

Add all ingredients just like that.

Do not precook meat.

The grated potato thickens the broth, another favorite thickener may be used, I prefer the potato.

Simmer this soup for 2 hours before serving.

I probably add more basil than listed, do that to taste.

Go easy on the sage but it is quite important.

You may add a tablespoon of sugar to perk this soup up a bit, I do not recall off hand if I did or not.

Another ingredient to perk it up is a tablespoon of vinegar, don’t overdo.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 250g (8.8 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 305 35% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 777mg 32%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 4%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars g
Protein 72g
Vitamin A 160% Vitamin C 89%
Calcium 6% Iron 11%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber
 
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