We’ve just found a new recipe that our family loves and I’m sure your family will as well. It tastes like hearty pizza with all your favorite toppings.
Who doesn’t love a bowl of hearty hot soup during the cold winter months? It’s made with dry beans, so that means it’s filling, nutritious and economical. And it’s made in the slow cooker so all you do is dump the ingredients into the pot and come home to dinner at the end of the day.
Ingredients
2 Cups 15 bean mix
1 lb. Italian sausage
5 oz. pepperoni, sliced 1/4″ thick
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
3.5 oz can sliced olives
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
7 cups chicken broth
24-oz jar of marinara or pizza sauce
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, depend on how spicy you like your soup)
Directions:
These beans usually come with a flavor packet. You won’t use that with this recipe. So you can either save it for another dish or just toss it.
Rinse the beans and sort to remove any debris or bad beans.
Brown the sausage. Slice the pepperoni and prep the rest of the vegetables.
Put all the ingredients except for the marinara sauce into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
Stir in the marinara sauce just before serving and let it simmer another 10 minutes. With the pepperoni and sausage, you probably won’t want to add any salt, but adjust seasonings to your taste.
Serve topped with mozzarella cheese and a few sliced olives. Garlic bread is the perfect companion to this soup.
Tips:
Since you’re using a slow cooker, you don’t have to soak the beans. How could this be any easier? But what if you don’t have a slow cooker? No problem, just simmer on the stove top for 5-6 hours.
OR put the (unsoaked) beans and 6 cups of broth in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 20-25 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked. Add marinara sauce and serve.
And if you don’t have a pressure cooker OR slow cooker and don’t want to simmer all day, then go ahead and soak the bean overnight. Follow the recipe, cooking the soaked beans on your stove top over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Add the marinara sauce when beans and vegetables are tender.
Don’t have a 15 bean mix? No problem. You can use any beans or combination of beans that you like.
See how easy this is?