YIELDS:
16 servings
PREP TIME:
8 hours 10 mins
COOK TIME:
2 hours 15 mins
TOTAL TIME:
10 hours 25 mins
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ingredients
1 20 Oz. Bag of 15 Bean Soup (Hurst’s HamBeens brand)
1 Large Onion, diced
12 Cups Water or Vegetable stock
1 Lb. Canadian ham, diced
1 14.5 Oz. Can petite cut tomatoes
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
1 Tsp. Calabrian Chili Flakes
1 Package of seasoning (comes with soup mix)
2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
Juice of one lemon
4 Large handfuls Fresh spinach, sliced
Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (to finish)
DIRECTIONS
1) Soak beans in 8 cups of cold water over night. Drain.
2) Add soaked beans to a large pot and add 12 cups of vegetable stock, cold water or a combination of both, and the diced onion. Bring to a boil, then lower to a low-medium heat and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes.
3) Add the tomatoes, chili powder, chili flakes, lemon juice, garlic and Canadian ham. Continue cooking for another 1/2 hour.
4) Add the seasoning packet and the spinach and stir to combine. Taste. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.
5) Serve the soup in bowls and grate the Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy.
NOTES: I’ve been making this 15 Bean Soup with Spinach and Canadian Ham for years. I started making this soup with the instructions right on the bag. It basically was 15 bean soup with ham. I used to make it with a ham hock (absolutely delicious) but over the years, I’ve lighted this recipe up and have added the spinach to get in even more veggies and substituted leaner Canadian Ham for the ham hock. Those simple changes made this soup leaner and healthier. I threw in a couple of other twists like using vegetable stock instead of water and adding a little spice with the chili flakes. This soup is hearty and delicious. A big pot of this gets me through a week of great lunches and or dinners.
Hambeens 15 bean soup mix has been around for a million years and can be found in the same aisle in the supermarket as other dried beans. The 15 bean soup mix was a big favorite in the Midwest and that is where I was introduced to it. I was once asked if I knew all the types of beans in Hambeens 15 bean soup? The answer is no. LOL BUT, I do love the mix. The soup is incredibly filling and really delicious.
15 bean soup with ham should be in regular rotation at your house especially if you are looking to cook once and then have a go-to meal ready for you all week.
Some frequently asked questions on the preparation of of the soup include:
As I’ve done in this recipe, use stock. I went with a vegetable stock but chicken and even beef would work fine.
Yes. These are raw beans (not canned) and they need to be rehydrated before cooking. To speed up the process, you can bring the beans to a boil in a pot of water and cook for45 minutes. Drain and then add the new cooking liquid and proceed with the recipe.
As I’ve done here, Canadian ham is a much leaner cut of meat and I use it to lighten up this soup but still have that smokey ham flavor. If you don’t want to use ham, could use a smoked sausage. Chicken, turkey or beef sausage would also work. Want to leave meat out of the equation completely? Just add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
The beans will continue to soak up the broth while it sits in the refrigerator. I simply add more broth when I’m reheating the soup and it is just fine. You can always add a little more seasoning (salt, pepper, chili flakes, etc) and of course, more cheese.
You can reheat it right on the stove over low-medium heat or in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Just be mindful to add more stock/broth if needed.
Like this soup? Be sure to try some of my other healthier soup recipes.
Beef, Vegetable and Barley Soup
