North Woods Bean Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
• Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.
• Add broth, seasoning and beans.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Place two cups of soup in a blender, process until smooth.
• Return the pureed mixture to pan and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove soup from heat.
• Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.
• Enjoy.

Steps:

• Look over the beans and remove any rocks or broken beans. Rinse the beans and put in a large pot. Add water, about 8 cups or enough to cover by at least an inch. Bring to a boil on stove. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf and ham hock. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Makw sure you don't run out of water and that the beans don't scorch. Add more water if necessary.
• After beans have softened (about 2 hours), add salt and pepper to taste.
• Continue cooking until beans are done. Make sure the soup is not too thick or too thin. (I usually get it too thick but you can always add water to thin it out.). Remove bay leaf and serve.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir carrots and celery into the onion mixture. Pour vegetable broth into the stockpot; add potato, bay leaves, basil, sea salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 20 minutes.
• Stir beans into the soup; continue simmering until the beans are hot and tender, about 20 minutes more.