One of the first things I learned to cook in my crockpot was bean soup. Bean soup was one of my favorite meals growing up and it's such an inexpensive and filling meal, I love to have it.
Here is my recipe for bean soup:
Ingredients:
1 pound navy beans
1 ham hock (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
water
Directions:
Soak navy beans in water overnight. In the morning, rinse them and put the beans in the crock. Add ham hock and cover all with fresh water (should be 2 to 2 1/2 inches of water covering beans and ham). Cook on high until soup boils then reduce heat to low. Cook on LOW until ready to serve. Stir occasionally (stirring thickens the soup). If you won't be home, you can cook them on LOW all day and skip the cooking on high until they boil. Either way works, I just prefer it the way I do it, when I can be home with it!
Break meat apart and remove the bone and serve meat in the soup. When serving, I like to add Tabasco sauce to my soup. My father-in-law adds ketchup to his. Salt and pepper to taste.
A great side dish to make with this is cheesy cornbread. Simply make a box of Jiffy Mix cornbread and mix 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese in the batter. Let rise for the 5 minutes and then bake according to the box directions or until cooked through. My kids LOVE this cheesy bread!
Serves 4
Notes:
You may want to watch your water level the first time you make this. Depending on if you like a thicker soup or thinner soup, you will need to adjust the amount of water used. Also, if you use too little water, the beans could soak it all up and dry out.
Quick Soaking Beans: It's best to soak beans overnight, but if you've forgotten or don't have time, here's a quick method. Cover beans with cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, about 1 hour. Preprocessed beans do not need soaking, but the processing robs them of some nutrients.
Sloppy Joes were never my favorite food, but I have found a crockpot Sloppy Joe recipe that I just love!
