Bean Soup

Here's the recipe (sort of) for the Bean Soup that we've all become addicted to. We love Mexican food around this house, so the Cumin in it really makes the girls excited. And it's CHEAP to make!

Bean Soup

1 lb. dried pinto beans (soaked overnight and rinsed)
1/4 md. vidalia onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 box low sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. kosher salt
fresh grated black pepper

Break out your schmancy Le Cruset pot for this one ladies... it likes to sit around at a rolling simmer for hours...

In your heavy stock pot, saute onion in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook through for a minute more. (garlic gets really nasty if you burn it, so don't let it get too brown). Add the soaked pintos to the pot with the remaining ingredients. I wing the spices... sometimes I add red pepper, sometimes I add more garlic. Taste your food people, and you'll figure out what you like. Cook on your lowest flame for several hours.... I like to make this one an all day dish. The pintos will start to break down and thicken the soup just a bit. Add water or more stock as needed to keep the liquid level about an inch above the beans.

You could cheat and use a slow cooker, but I like looking at my pretty red pot. ;-)

Side note, someone told my mother that if you soak the beans overnight, it removes the "gas"... don't know if that's true or not, but funny enough to mention.