Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2006

I used someone else's suggestion of the boiling & baking soda thing. I then put everything in a crock pot and set it in the fridge overnight. I cooked it on low for about 10 hours. I filled about half my blender with the soup and blended to make the broth thicker. This was really good and the first time I've EVER gotten bean soup to work for me. Next time though I'll add the ham at the end and add a bit of salt (I didn't add mucg salt for fear it would be too salty with the ham and the ham bone). Thanks for the recipe.

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RUCIFEY

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Fresno, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2006

I made this soup last year for our family Christmas party with some beer bread, which you can also find on this site (Beer Bread 1 to be exact). I did soak the beans overnight rather for the hour the recipe calls for. I also doubled the recipe to feed everyone. It was a big hit. Definitely what you expect a bean soup to taste like!

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Masty

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Edgewood, Kentucky, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 14, 2006

This soup was excellent, although it took longer to cook than suggested. May have been because I used slightly larger beans than navy beans. Should have used "small white beans" b/c I couldn't find Navy beans in the store I stopped at. I used the ham from "Slow Cooker Ham" on this site. Wonderful. My dad also added a bit of cabbage to his soup when he made it to thicken it up a bit, and it was excellent as well. I also used 6 cups of chicken broth and one cup of water.

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BECKYW2770

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Reviewed: Oct. 15, 2006

I made this soup with the leftover ham bone from Christmas. I will do this every year! It was so simple and exactly what I was aiming for, a copy of the soup I order at the Coney Island Restaurant!

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ANNPETERS

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Warren, Michigan, USA

Living In: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 17, 2006

it was great - i thought the texture was nice and thick. will make again when i have a ham bone but will not add the called upon salt (seemed just a little salty). the ham seemed to salt it up enough. I did add extra carrots and celery and ham. As someelse recommended here, i served it with cornbread - what a great meal and just as good on day 2. next time i have a ham bone, i will double the recipe.

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Vargo5

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Shelby Township, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 9, 2006

Loved this recipe, easy, tasty, husband loved it.

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HOLLYAGAR

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Reviewed: Apr. 2, 2006

This is very similar to my recipe for bean soup and it's excellent! The only thing I do differently, is that I cook everything together, rather than adding the veggies later and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Just before serving, I add 1/4 cup of instant potato flakes to slightly thicken the stock. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving!

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JUDITH

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Reviewed: Mar. 17, 2006

I really liked this dish, but I did change a few things. As suggested by other reviewers, I used about 5 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water (I omitted the salt altogether). I followed the recipe directions for the beans and they turned out great. I increased the amount of vegetables though and would probably increase to about a cup of each in the future. Once the soup was done, I removed about 1.5 cups of soup and pureed it with my hand blender, added about 1/4 cup ketchp and added that back to the soup. The ketchup added really great flavour and the puree gave the soup a really nice consistency. Apart from adding more vegetables, I will increase the liquid for this soup next time as we did find it a bit more "stew" (rather than soup) like. Great recipe, thanks!

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kelcampbell

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Kemptville, Ontario, Canada

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Reviewed: Mar. 15, 2006

As others recommended, I used the baking soda method for the beans. This recipe was a great base for spicing up! I used 2 whole medium onions - chopped and a whole cup of chopped carrots (didnt use celery as I don't like). I increased the water to 7 cups & chicken broth to 5 cups. I used 2tbsp of minced garlic, 2tsp of ground cumin, couple shakes of black pepper & 1tbsp diced jalapenos. Lastly, after pureeing half the soup, I simmered for an additional hour. This came out wonderful & the family loved it!!!

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HARLEYHON444

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Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2006

Very tasty, my kids and husband loved it. Used the soda method, and it worked like a charm. A little watery, will thicken it up next time.

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SusanH4

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Reviewed: Feb. 7, 2006

An excellant recipe! The same one i had for years and lost. Upon seeing it it brought it all back. The best! I did change a little though. Used 10 cups water and added an extra ham hock and bay leaf. Full of flavor!

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getlow316

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Reviewed: Feb. 3, 2006

I've always made my ham and navy bean soup this way, with the addition of a can of diced tomatoes or of plain tomato sauce (if the kids didn't want tomato chunks). Season to taste. sometimes I add a bit of thyme as well. Kids always like it and it's a nice hearty soup for the winter.

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go-red-sox

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Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2006

I soaked my beans overnight, like I always do. I put all the ingredients into a slowcooker, set it on low and at dinnertime we had bean soup like I remembered! I grew up putting ketchup in my soup and eating it ladled over thick slices of homemade bread! YUM

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MrsKatt

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Bay City, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2006

Very good recipe. I thought it was missing something so I did add what my father made when I was young. He used to add ketchup, much like a couple of the other reviewers mentioned. Instead, I added a large can of whole tomatoes. Also, I added about four diced potatoes right near the last 40 minutes. Potatoes make it thicker, which I prefer. I also omitted the salt. Very good with cornbread.

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MDPFIRRMAN

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Hamilton, Ohio, USA

Living In: Mason, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2006

Excellent recipe! I made the Allrecipes.com "Honey Glazed Ham" for a New Year's Eve get dinner and used the leftover ham bone for this recipe. My husband raved for days about this soup.

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Loomchick

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Portland, Oregon, USA

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 29, 2005

I've never had bean soup with carrots and celery, however, most of the recipes called for it, so it must be a normal thing to do :) I took suggestions from the previous two reviewers and did the baking soda soak method and added ketchup to the soup. The baking soda method worked perfectly. I've always added ketchup to my bowl of bean soup and hadn't thought about just putting it in the pan! The color was more orange than rich, due to the carrots... but very good none the less. This one is a keeper!

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CHRISTIE1213

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Johnstown, Ohio, USA

Living In: Union, Kentucky, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2005

This is such a great "traditional" bean soup. I used the baking soda quick soak method mentioned by a previous user (it worked like a charm) and added ketchup for color, texture, and a little flavor.

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amberb

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Denton, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 18, 2005

I am an Appalachian "kid" and bean soup was a staple in our family. Here is a little trick I learned. Cover your beans, nothing else added, with cold water, and bring to a solid boil for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan DON'T DRAIN and SET THE PAN IN YOUR SINK. Throw in about 1/4 cup baking soda, (in the hills it's a handful) and stir like crazy until the foam that will appear disappears, (don't worry if the foam looks green). Drain and rinse very well in cold water to remove all the soda flavor, then start recooking according to the directions. Doing this, you won't have to soak the beans, it cuts your cooking time, and removes maybe not all, but most of the "gas". More soda, less gas. The reason for setting the pan in the sink is that it will foam quite a bit and could go over the sides of your pan. BTW, never used a bay leaf in my life for bean soup.

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BARB MAXWELL

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2005

This soup is great. My Mom-In-Law liked it better than my Pea soup, which is saying something!

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EJ Anderson

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Reviewed: Oct. 22, 2005

Cooked beans as stated in review dated 5/23/05. Omitted salt, ham bone, and used turkey ham---didn't want it to become too salty for my liking (I always omit salt from recipes). Light & flavourful. Not 'heavy' so would probably be good for 'soup before entree,' and has pleasant flavours for a very basic, and simple soup.

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