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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.
- 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!
More Soup recipes
- Thai Butternut Squash Soup (instant pot/pressure cooker AND stove-top instructions)
- The Best Corn Chowder
- Easy Black Bean Soup (20 minutes!)
- Easy Homemade Tomato Soup (goes GREAT with grilled cheese!)
- Healthy Butternut Squash & Apple Soup (low fat)
- Velvety Carrot Cilantro Soup (vegetarian)
- See all Soup recipes
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15 Bean Soup (Crockpot)
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 stock
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
Instructions
- 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 beans to slow cooker, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaves from soup, discard.
- Devour.
Tips & Notes:
Kylee's Notes 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.
nutrition facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
Recipes written and produced on Kylee Cooks are for informational purposes only. Kylee is not a certified nutritionist. Nutritional data provided on Kylee Cooks has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.
That Girl says
My mom used to make a bean soup – but not in the crockpot. I remember it was a "little bit of this, a little bit of that" kind of soup.
Jan & Stan says
What a wonderful wife and Mum you are. Thoughtful, caring and loving. Well done.
Karly says
This looks so good! Can’t wait to try!
Marvin Huffman says
Very good. My son loved it & so do I. Followed recipe exactly. Flavorful & hearty. Recipe is a keeper
Betsy Bernard says
I’m making this recipe, it doesn’t say Whether or not to throw away the flavor packet
Kylee says
Throw it away!
Paula @ Mummy Vs Work says
I’ve never made soup in the slow cooker but this sounds delicious! Thank you for linking up.
Connie Bean says
I also put sliced Conecuh Sausage with the chopped ham! Will make cornbread to go with.
It’s an Alabama thing! Thanks for recipe! Too hot here right now to stay in kitchen!
Cindy says
It was pretty good but next time I’m not gonna add the tomatoes, just chicken broth.
JH says
Should have followed my instincts and avoided the tomatoes.
Miranda says
The key with the recipe is to put the tomatoes (and I add lemon juice too) AFTER the beans have cooked and are soft. The acidity can effect how the beans soften and rehydrate. When I make this, I cook the beans on high for five hours, pull out the smoked turkey leg (or ham hock or shank) and bay leaves. I then add the tomatoes and lemon juice, then pull the meat from the bones, chop, and put back in the pot. Then cook it on low for another hour. Comes out great!!
Goldie says
Can you omit the soy sauce or maybe substitute with something else??
Kylee says
sure! Worcestershire sauce would work. Or if it needs to be gluten-free – Tamari.
If you hate it that much, leave it out.
Donna Stewart says
I live this soup .i usally put smoke sausage, and hamburger and b pepper,onions
Charles Decriscio says
Going to make it today 😃👍
Donna says
Followed the recipe to the “T” twice now and the beans stay crunchy and never get tender. Any ideas why? Other than the beans not getting tender, the soup is very flavorful!
Kylee says
Could be the age of your beans?
Debra McCoin says
I am assuming that after soaking the beans you will drain them before adding to the pot.
Kylee says
yes, that’s correct. I don’t know of any recipes that use the soaking water.
Donna says
Nope….age of the beans was not the problem. I took the advice of Miranda above….I waited to add the tomatoes after the beans and everything else had cooked for about 5 hours. That did the trick! The beans were soft!
Tuba player says
Would like to make this vegetarian and omit the chicken broth. I don’t like vegetable broth. Has anyone used tomato juice?
Michael says
Very good! The soy adds depth. I added chopped kale for more greens. To serve, I added a few dashes of tobacco, though I bet lemon juice or red wine vinegar would be tasty too. I also tried a dollop of fermented chili paste (gochujang) which was delicious!