There are many variations of 15 bean soup. Today, Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking will be demonstrating an Italian variation of the classic soup recipe. The key to making a delicious homemade soup is to use the stovetop and not the Instapot! This allows you to bring out the best flavors in your ingredients. While we’re on the subject of the ingredients, you want to be sure to use authentic Italian ingredients. Eric will show you some tips to make sure you’re sourcing the highest quality you can buy!
DO NOT USE STORE BOUGHT STOCK! Just don’t do it. In the link below, Eric demonstrates how to make a delicious homemade chicken stock completely from scratch.
Ingredients:
-1 20 oz. package Hurst’s HamBeens Brand 15 Been Soup
-8 cups HOMEMADE chicken stock
-1 yellow onion
-1 stalk celery
-1 large carrot
-1 lb. Italian Sausage (sweet or spicy)
-1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
-2 Tb. Italian extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup Italian dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
-8 sprigs fresh thyme
-1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
-1/2 Ts. dried oregano
-1/2 Ts. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 lemon
-3 cloves garlic
-salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
-Rinse the beans in cold water. Drain them and then cover with fresh water in a large bowl. Be sure to leave several inches of water above the beans. Allow them to soak overnight at room temperature.
-Preheat a large pot on medium heat. Once hot, add the Italian extra virgin olive oil and the Italian sausage. Cook until the pink is almost gone and some dark colors develop on the sausage. Use a spatula during this process to break up the sausage and stir every minute or so.
-Once sausage is mostly cooked through, add in the diced celery, carrot, and onion. Add a small amount of salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-While veggies cook, remove the thyme leaves from the stem and mince with a sharp knife. Also use a garlic press to crush 3 cloves of garlic.
-Once veggies have softened, add in the fresh thyme and garlic. Also add in the crushed red pepper flakes and oregano. Stir frequently at this point to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook for 1 minute.
-Add in half the chicken stock, then the rinsed and drained beans, then the 2nd half of the stock. Stir to incorporate ingredients and to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Turn up the heat to medium high heat until a simmer is reached.
-Once a simmer is reached, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper is necessary. Allow the soup to simmer, uncovered, for an hour and a half.
-After an hour and a half, crush the San Marzano tomatoes with your hands and add them to the bean soup. Add in the Italian white wine too. Stir the pot to incorporate the ingredients. Allow the soup to cook for another 30 minutes, uncovered.
-After cooking the wine for 30 minutes, the alcohol should be cooked off and the soup should be ready, but test a bit to make sure the beans are cooked properly. Turn off the heat and add in the juice from the half lemon, as well as the chopped Italian parsley.
-Serve and enjoy!