18 Bean Soup

Eighteen Bean Mix by"Beautiful Star"
Bouquet garni - included
Bean mix - sort through and wash thoroughly
8 cups water
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
10 oz. ham hock
2-14 oz. whole tomatoes, chopped, reserve juice
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups, celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 lb. andouille sausage
1/2 lb. fresh, boneless chicken breast

Place the beans, bouquet garni, 8 cups water and ham hock in a large dutch oven pot (I used two ham hocks since I didn't have andouille sausage).

Sprinkle with pepper.  Since I didn't have broth, I had plenty of creamy bouillon chicken base

It comes in this jar and they also make it in beef.  Once I stirred in the chicken base, I covered the pot and brought the soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, onions, celery, garlic, sausage and chicken.  Cover and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours.  During the last 1/2 hour, stir the bottom of the pot as the soup should thicken.  I cooked it a little longer uncovered until it got thicker as that's the way hubby loves it.

Remove ham hock, bouquet garni from soup.  Discard the bouquet garni.  Place both meats on a clean surface, I personally like to use a pie plate as it keeps the juices from spilling.  Carefully locate and discard bones and fat.

Dice ham hock meat and return to soup (I was a little disappointed that I only got about a 3/4 cup of ham meat from the ham hocks)

Do the same with the chicken.  Stir and simmer the soup an extra 10 minutes, serve immediately.

I had on hand some cooked barley so I added it to the soup to give it more substance. Hubby loves to have rice with his soups and chilis but instead of using rice, I used a cup of cooked barley.  Just the perfect addition to any soup in my opinion.

Yum!  This was the best bean soup I've had and it was even better the second day.  I bought it at Fresh Market and I think I'm going back to get some more.  Beans are so healthy and so good.  I can't believe there were 18 types of beans in the mix so I counted them and sure enough, they're right!  Here's the list:

1. Navy Beans
2. Great Northern Beans
3. Pinto Beans
4. Black Beans
5. Red Beans
6. Light Red Kidney Beans
7. Yellow Split Peas
8. Baby Lima Beans
9. Brown Lentils 
10. Green Split Peas
11. Pink Beans
12. Black Eyed Peas
13. Cranberry Beans
14. Large Lima Beans
15. Dark Red Kidney Beans
16. Garbanzo Beans
17. Whole Green Peas
18. Red Lentils

Serve with your favorite bread and savor!

Have a great week and remember to savor every moment!