Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2008

This was excellent! I like my soup sweet, so I added a bit of brown sugar and ketchup. Yummy! Great flavor even without my additions! My husband loved it as well.

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Tessa

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Godfrey, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2007

I tried this recipe and I am sure it would have been fantastic but...I tried another reviewers tip and added the baking soda to the beans after they boiled. I thought I followed the directions but I dont think I rinsed the beans well enough after adding the baking soda. My soup turned out extremely salty! It ruined it. I think this was my mistake so rinse rinse and rinse again so you dont make the same mistake I did and ruin a good pot of soup!!

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mrsgailann

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA

Living In: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2007

Barb Maxwell, you are a genius! I have never, EVER had any luck cooking with dried beans, but that baking soda trick works! DH loves Campbell's Bean & Bacon soup, and this is very close (personally, I thought it was better, but maybe that's because I made it...?). I added a couple cubes of chicken broth to up the flavor. Yum!!!

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LIZCANCOOK

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Livonia, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 20, 2007

Just OK but worth making again to use up leftover ham.

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alice

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Wheaton, Illinois, USA

Living In: Bolingbrook, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 8, 2007

I just threw it all in the crock pot for a very long time and added some instant mashed potatoes. It was wonderful!

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makuplver

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

Living In: Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 15, 2007

I have NO luck with bean soups in crockpots. I dont know what my deal is - soaked the beans over night and cooked in the crock pot for almost 12 hoours and the beans were still HARD! I give up

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COLEY2

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Reviewed: May 27, 2007

this was good but a little bland

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jjbryson

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Reviewed: May 14, 2007

I did a few different things. I did the baking soda trick summited by barb maxwell, and no bay leaf, and added garlic powder. I alos added potatoes alone with the celery and carrots and put it all in the slow cooker on low for 8 to 10 hours. Adding the veggies about 1 hour before serving. My family could not get enough of it. It was great.

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Dee B

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Reviewed: Apr. 20, 2007

This was great! I added a little extra celery and carrots and also added about a 1/2 tsp of cayenne because I wanted to add a little zing.

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Patricia

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Hampton, Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2007

I started with this recipe and made a few changes. First, my store didn't have navy beans, so I used great northern beans. I took the advice of others and use 4 c. chicken stock and 3 c. water. I also didn't use a ham bone. Finally, I added 3 c. diced ham and 1 c. each of carrots and celery. This was just the right amount of ham and veggies. I soaked the beans overnight, then let it cook all day in the crockpot on low. Turned out great!

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erz2002

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Dover, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2007

I really liked this soup. Served with some warm cornbread, it makes a satisfying meal on a cold winter night!

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Luv2BakeGirl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Living In: New Palestine, Indiana, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2007

Great taste! I added cubed potatoes, 1/4 cup tomato sauce and spinach. The family liked it. The perfect meal with homesteader cornbread.

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Sherry Silveira

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Smithers, British Columbia, Canada

Living In: Grants Pass, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2007

I have been making this soup for years now, and it always turns out great. I think this is the best bean soup recipe I've ever found. I always add some extra carrots because I love carrots. I use the baking soda method suggested in a review by Barb Maxwell, and did not add the salt the recipe called for because other reviewers suggested that the baking soda added too much sodium. Sometimes I use a ham bone, and sometimes I get ham hocks. Both work well.

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LADYSLEW

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Newark, Delaware, USA

Living In: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 5, 2007

This was delicious! I was looking for a recipe for bean soup that I had at a restaurant that was awesome- and this was very close! The only thing I changed was the bay leaf- I did not have one so I left it out and couldn't tell the difference. I also made this in the crockpot and cooked it on low for 12 hours. Very delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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JALYNN05

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Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2007

I only had canned Navy beans so I pureed half of them and kept the other half whole. I then stirred them into the soup after I removed the bone. I really enjoyed this recipe. It's a nice light and tasty way to use my left over ham. Thanks!

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Jackie

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Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2006

I used a 20 pkg. of mixed beans, used the baking soda tip and 6 cans low sodium chicken broth along with 1 cup water. Still was a bit salty, but everyone loved it. My first attempt at home made soup!

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suzanne

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Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2006

This was a simple, easy and tasty soup to make. I followed the recipe exactly and added a little mustard powder. Wonderful!

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SMALLIE81

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Crofton, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2006

This is a hearty soup and a great place for a leftover ham bone. We like our soup a little thicker. My only suggestion is to use an addition 1/2 cup of beans, puree them in a food processor and add back to the stock at the end. Yummmmmmmmmmm !

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RAYKATS

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: Malaga, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 8, 2006

My husband and I loved every spoonful of this awesome, awesome, awesome soup! I used smoked turkey meat because I didn't have a ham bone, and omitted the diced ham since the smoked turkey meat was enough. I also added a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of onion powder (didn't have a fresh onion) and used 3 bay leaves instead of just one. Because this recipe is such a terific base for a variety of bean soups, the changes I made still resulted in an outstanding soup. We'll enjoy this soup many times this winter.

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CookingCutie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2006

WOW! Outstanding soup! I grew up on Campbell's Bean & Bacon, but will not resort to that again. The flavors of this are much more complex and satisfying. The baking soda trick was GREAT -- be sure to rinse off the beans with cold water a couple times. I made the following alterations: After cooking the beans, I put them and the remaining ingredients into a crock pot and cooked on low overnight. I used two smoked ham shanks instead of a simple ham bone, and used diced smoked turkey kielbasa in place of diced ham. I sauteed the veggies in a little olive oil before adding to the crock pot. Used good, rich chicken stock instead of water and did NOT add any salt. A couple good shakes of Tabasco added the necessary balance.

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