Peg's Many Bean Soup

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.