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A yummy slow cooked 15 Bean Soup, 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.

Recently, The Husband and I were talking about how food/smells can evoke memories, and we started talking things we ate as children. I wondered which dishes our children would love about growing up with, and what recipes their future wives would be asking ME for!

When I asked if there was anything he particularly loved that his mother made, and he said: “some kind of bean soup, with every bean you can think of… she put it in a crock pot, and I think there was ham involved”… I knew I had to try and find a way to recreate this 15 bean soup for him.

My husband’s mother passed away long before we met, so I was never able to meet or spend time with the lady who made him this dinner and obviously can’t ask her for her recipe. I hope she’s watching over us and will smile when she sees how wonderful her son turned out to be. As it happens, the Husband loved this 15 bean soup! I regularly make it whenever I have a ham bone, but I sub smoked ham steaks, or make it vegetarian if I have to!

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How to make 15 Bean Soup:

Step 1 Soak your dried bean mix overnight. Discard the seasoning packet – we won’t need this!
Step 2 Add the remaining ingredients to a crock pot, and add the soaked beans in the morning (discard the soaking water).
Step 3 Cook for 8-10 hours. Beans are tender, vegetables are soft but not mushy.
Step 4 Devour!!

Why should you soak the beans?

Soaking the beans is optional, but it removes some of the indigestible sugars responsible for the unfortunate side affects of beans. ~~LOOK IF YOU DON’T KNOW I’M NOT TELLING YOU, OKAY?!~~

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!

Ingredients to make this recipe:

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 discards – 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

Kylee’s Notes/FAQs for 15 Bean Soup:

What are the beans in 15 Bean Soup Mix? 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.
What is a mirepoix? 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.
Is 15 bean soup good for you? 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.
Can I make this ahead? 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!
I don’t have a ham bone – what can I use instead? Some chopped ham steaks, leftover ham, anything you can find! I do love the flavor of a leftover ham bone (from Easter, perhaps), but have been known to sub in a smoked ham hock that I’ve gotten from the butcher.
Can this crock pot soup be frozen after cooking? 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.

What to serve with it:

A crusty roll or thick slice of bread slathered with butter completes this meal!

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