‘Bean there, Not doing that’ Soup

As a special request from a follower, this week our spotlight is on a common leftover & overlooked pantry ingredient: beans. Beans are most likely stacked in your pantry, of various kinds. Pinto, Red, Pink, Kidney, Chick, Lima, Black Eyed, Yellow Eyed, Lentil…. You name it! What to do with the leftovers we cannot use? This recipe can easily accommodate any and all bean, pea, and lentil you may have on hand. We used dried beans in this recipe, as those were our leftovers, but if you have canned those can easily be substituted as well. This recipe is perfect on a cold winter night, as it has been lately in the Big Apple, when you just don’t have the energy to walk 3 blocks to the grocery store to make dinner. The woody flavor the dried rosemary brings to the salty and acidic broth will warm even the coldest of hearts. Enjoy with a dollop of your favorite creamy cheese, and a handful of tortilla chips, and cuddle up on the couch with your favorite blankie! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

16 oz veggie or chicken broth (reduced sodium. If you don’t have broth, you can use the reserved liquid the beans previously cooked in. If canned beans are used, just add water.)
2 cups water

¾ lb of mixed beans of your choice

1 tbsp rosemary

1 tsp red pepper flakes & a few dashes of hot sauce- whatever you have on hand and however spicy you may want it!

dash of garlic salt

salt & pepper to taste

First, prepare the beans in a quart of hot water and boil until the beans are soft to the touch. Roughly 20-30 minutes. If you do not have broth, reserve this extra water for the soup to use later on.

In a large pot, add tomato sauce, broth, water, and beans and bring to a slow boil. Add rosemary, red pepper, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and hot sauce and reduce to a simmer. Let soup cook for 15-20 minutes and until the flavors have a chance to date and get married. Serve as desired with cheese & chips as mentioned, or even a side of crusty sourdough bread- whatever you have on hand that doesn’t require that trip to the store will do just fine!