16 Bean & Clean!

One of my favorite seasons in New England is the Fall and it’s just around the corner.  Me and my S.O. James are gathering fire wood for weekend backyard bonfires as we speak!   And I’m feeling like cooking again so here is another one of my favorite clean bean soup recipes.  This one is packed with nutrients and sure to fill you up on a crisp Fall day or night!

Ingredients

one bag of 16 bean soup mix

1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 package of Herb-Ox low sodium chicken stock

4 to 5 cloves of garlic or 2 large tablespoons of minced garlic

2 cups of organic carrots

3 stalks of organic celery

one large red onion

one box of organic grape tomatoes

one package of chicken sausage

2 tbsps of crushed red pepper seasoning

1 tbsp of pure ground black pepper

6 to 8 cups of water

Rinse entire bag of beans well and soak in a large pan overnight.  In the morning drain and rinse beans. Here is where I detract from the recipe.  From this point on I use a large crock pot which I find to be a timesaver and I also find it creates added flavor.  Add pre-soaked beans to large crock pot.

Put all veggies (red onion, carrots, celery stalks) separately in the food processor to get them super fine.  Now put the veggies, the olive oil, the minced garlic (my preference is minced), the chicken stock and the water in with the beans in the large crock pot.  Sprinkle in crushed red pepper seasoning and pure ground black pepper.  Stir everything together and place the cover on the crock pot.  Then bring to a rapid boil, lower heat and cook on low for up to 7 hours.

While the bean soup is cooking, cut chicken sausage links in half and then cut into small squares and bake in oven on 350 degree for 30 minutes.  Add the cooked chicken sausage pieces to soup dish when finished.

Slice grape tomatoes in half and put them aside in refrigerator.  Don’t add them to 16 bean soup until one hour before soup is finished cooking.

Cook on low and slow until beans are soft.  Once done, serve in small bowls – delish!