A twofer of bean soup recipies | The Cupboard Drawer Recipe Book

Here are a couple of tried and true bean soups that hit the spot on a cold fall day. I grew up in the Chicago area and Indian Summer is rapidly approaching, with it the turning of the leaves and soon the smell of them burning will waft through the air. I can’t think of better memories than coming in from the crisp fall air and having that mug of soup and crackers for dinner with maybe a grilled cheese sandwich.  We may not have had a lot when I was young but what we had was good..

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 small Onion Chopped

1 Cn (28oz) Tomatoes

1 Cn (16oz) Beans in Tomato Sauce or Pork and Beans in your favorite variety sauce

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen Lima Beans

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

¼ tsp dried thyme leaves

¼ tsp salt

1 (15-19 oz) Can White Kidney Beans Drained

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (How much depends on How much you like Cheese)

1. In a 4qt Saucepan over medium heat , cook the onion in the oil till soft and tender

2. Add tomatoes with their liquid, beans in tomato sauce, frozen Limas, brown sugar, thyme, salt, and 1 cup water (if you want stew instead of soup add ¼ cup water), over high heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low cover and simmer approx 15 mins till Lima’s are tender.

3. Stir in White Kidney Beans; allow to heat through.

4. To serve ladle in to warm serving bowls or mugs, sprinkle with shredded cheddar to taste.

5. Stew Variation – Brown Ham, or bacon, or salt Pork, or Ham Hocks and put the whole concoction in a Crock-pot on low all day long with it covered. It should thicken throughout the day and depending how you like your stew you can add water to thin it a bit.

This recipe yields two quarts of soup (just enough for six kids and two adults with sandwiches)

The thing to remember here is Cheese is a rich mans treat and a poor mans meat, plenty of protein here for growing kids and adults.

1 ¼ Cup Dried Lentil Beans Rinsed

1 ½ Lbs Polish Sausage Sliced ¼ in slices

1 (6oz) can Tomato Paste (Contadina recommended)

3 ea lrg Potatoes peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 or 2 Carrots chopped

½ Cup Chopped Celery ( 3 trimmed stalks)

1 ½ tsp instant beef bouillon granules

¾ tsp dried thyme crushed

1/8 tsp pepper (Black, white or red depends on your taste)

1. in a medium skillet brown the sausage slices till crispy edges appear.
2. In a 3 quart saucepan w 5 cups of water bring the lentils to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins.
3. In your Crock-pot combine all the ingredients and the lentils (including the water), and keep on low heat for 9 hrs or so. You can skim off the fat from the sausage if you’re worried about it but I just like to stir it back in before serving.

Yields about 6 cups

For stew variation drain off half the water from the lentils before combining in the crock-pot.

There you have a pair of hearty soups or stews depending on your inclination Bon Appetite!