A bean "soup" that is very customizable. It can be thin like a soup, or thick like baked beans. Lots of options available. This is the no-meat version, but you can add anything you like to it, from ham, to chicken, to sausage, or bacon. Or, you can use this as a basis for some delicious chili.
Quantity
0
Quantity Unit
Prep Time (minutes)
180
Cook Time (minutes)
120
Ready In (minutes)
300
Ingredients
Amount
Measure
Ingredient
1
cup
dry pinto beans
1
cup
black beans (dry)
8
cup (8 fl oz)
water
3
tablespoon
chili powder
1
teaspoon
cumin, ground
1
tablespoon
italian seasoning (or just oregano, whichever you prefer)
1
medium (2-1/2\" dia)
Onion, chopped (sweet if possible)
1/2
teaspoon
black pepper (or 1 whole tsp, depending on level preferred)
Steps
Sequence
Step
1
Sort and rinse dry beans. Either soak overnight, or do a quick soak (bring to a boil in a large pot of water, allow to boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for one hour). After soaking, rinse the beans well and put them in a large pot with lots of water (6-8 cups).
2
Drain soak water and rinse the beans again. Place them in a pot of clean water and bring to a boil.
3
Add the chopped onion and allow beans to simmer for about an hour and a half.
4
Add the seasonings during the second hour of boiling (include some salt or garlic salt if you''d like them salty - leave out the salt if you''re on a low-sodium diet).
5
While the beans are simmering, add water as needed to make it soupier or thicker to fit your personal preferences.
6
Optional add-ins: These beans are excellent with some meat added to the recipe. I plan on adding on extra recipes to this one for the nutritional values, so if you like these, look for the add-ons. But some options include adding ham, bacon, sausage, smoked sausage, chicken, or any combination of these meats. To serve, you can eat them plain, top with some diced raw onion, grated cheese, or crumbled bacon. They are also good over whole-grain or regular pasta, mixed with any kind of rice, or to use as a base for chili - just add your preferred ground or chopped meats (and maybe some green or red peppers)to complete a delicious pot of chili. You can also add any amount of cayenne or other hot pepper to taste. Also delicious served with cornbread or biscuits or hoe cakes. Credit to my mother-in-law for the recipe. I took her base recipe (made with leftover ham) and added to it and played with it until my husband decided they were as good as they could possibly get.
