Five Bean Soup

When I was growing up, it seemed we had a lot of meals that consisted of beans and cornbread. While I enjoyed the cornbread, beans were definitely not my favorite thing. Add enough mustard, and they were edible. It wasn't until I found this recipe in my first issue of Taste of Home magazine years later, that I decided to give beans another try. Now, this is one of our favorite soups.

Five Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 5 packages (16 oz. each) dried beans, lima, great northern, kidney, pinto, and split peas (enough for four batches of soup)
• Combine beans. (I mix mine in a large glass pickle jar. They look great and are always ready to make a great pot of soup.)
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 3 T. dried chives
• 1 t. dried savory
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-1/2 quarts water
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes

Directions:

To make one batch of soup:
Measure about 3-3/4 cups of beans. Wash beans; place in a large kettle (6 qt. Dutch oven); add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Return to kettle; add spices and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2-3 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and heat through.

This soup gets better every time you warm it up. Make the soup one day, refrigerate, and reheat the next day to serve. Add Oatmeal Rolls and a salad and you have a complete meal. Try adding some rice, too.  It's really good with the soup.

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