15 Bean Soup (Slow Cooker Recipe)

A yummy slow cooked 15 Bean Soup recipe, packed with flavor and goodness – this meal is a great one to set and forget! Nothing beats a slow cooked meal that cooks all day, and fills your home with the delicious aroma of this 15 Bean Soup! Just 4 steps, which are mainly hands off – and you’ll have a delicious, nutritious meal ready for dinner.

Ingredients:
20 oz 15 bean blend (picked over and rinsed)
1 medium onion (diced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4 carrots (sliced into rounds (approx. 2 cups))
4 stalks celery (chopped (approx. 1 cup))
1 smoked ham bone
1 tsp cracked pepper (coarsely ground)
2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 cups chicken broth
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Directions:
Add beans to a large bowl or pot, and cover with 8 cups of water. Leave overnight. Discard the soaking water. Combine onion, garlic, carrots, celery, black pepper, thyme, bay leaf, soy sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in slow cooker. Add the ham bone in too. Add beans to slow cooker, mix well, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove ham bone and bay leaves from soup, discard. Devour.

Recipe Ingredients and Possible Substitutes – The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the recipe above.
– 15 Bean Blend. This can be found at the grocery store with the other dried beans. It’s a small package and comes with a seasoning packet (that you discard. we don’t need it!) When using dried beans, you need to pick them over and make sure there aren’t any stones or things that shouldn’t be there.
– Onion. Part of what is called a “mirepoix” Finely dice, it will form part of the flavor of the soup
– Carrots. Peel and cut into coins, or half coins if your carrots are especially big
– Celery. Cut these to roughly the same size as the onions.
– Garlic. Use 6 whole cloves and mince them
– Smoked Ham Bone. Leftover ham bone, or smoked ham hock from the deli at the grocery store will both work)
– Chicken Stock. Try my recipe for homemade chicken stock, or grab it from the store.
– Diced Tomatoes. Don’t drain these, the juices add flavor.

FAQs for making 15 Bean Soup:
Q: Why should you soak the beans?
A: Soaking the beans is optional, but it removes some of the indigestible sugars responsible for the unfortunate side affects of beans.
Soaking the beans also speeds up the cooking process, so if you were making a soup on the stove top, you’d absolutely want to do this. Since we’re cooking these for a really long time – you can absolutely ditch the soaking. I prefer to do it, but it’s not compulsory!

Q: What are the beans in 15 Bean Soup Mix?
A: Whew!! There are a lot! The brand I buy contains northern, pinto, large lima, blackeye, garbanzo, baby lima, green split, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split, lentil, navy, white kidney, black, yellow eye.

Q: What is a mirepoix?
A: It’s the combination of carrots, onion, and celery. Carrots, onion and celery form the basis of many soups. The “Holy Trinity” is onions, celery and bell peppers.

Q: Is 15 bean soup good for you?
A: Well, yes – but that honestly depends on your diet and nutrition goals. I’ve listed the nutrition under the recipe card, but briefly – bean soup is a great source of protein, and is high in fiber.

Q: Can I make this ahead?
A: YES! I like to put all the ingredients except for the ham bone and beans in a slow cooker, pop the lid on and put it in the fridge. Add the ham bone and soaked beans in the morning. Easy!

Q: I don’t have a ham bone – what can I use instead?
A: Some chopped ham steaks, leftover ham, or smoked sausage. Really, anything you can find! I do love the flavor of a leftover ham bone (from Easter, perhaps). However, I have been known to sub in smoked ham hocks that I’ve gotten from the butcher.

Q: Can this crock pot soup be frozen after cooking?
A: Absolutely. It does exceptionally well when stored correctly. I portion it into pints, and freeze for up to 6 months. Whatever you are using – make sure to leave a little room at the top as things expand when frozen! To eat – just thaw in the refrigerator and then cook in the microwave until piping hot. Alternatively, you can store in zipper bags, and lay it flat in the freezer! It takes a lot less time to thaw, but you will need to then transfer to a saucepan for stove-top reheating, or a microwave safe bowl.

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