Old Timey Soup Beans Recipe
Soup beans seems kind of like…a bland meal. WAIT before you think that! My recipe for Old Timey Soup Beans is anything but bland. In fact, they are quite delicious, and a big request in my home!
Maybe you grew up with your grandma fixing mushy beans…maybe you loved them… maybe you doused them with ketchup to try to get the choked down…(ahem…)
But before you knock good ol’ frugal soup beans, you must at least try this recipe.
Prep Ahead for Old Timey Soup Beans
Part One of cooking soup beans is to start the night before. Now, I have read where some cooks do not soak beans overnight. I have read of cooks that swear by soaking them overnight. You do what you like best. But I found that this method works best for me.
What you Need the Night Before
-2 lb dried pinto beans
-Water
The night before you want to have beans for dinner, I soak them. Here’s our method to soak the beans:
Rinse and strain beans two or three times. Put in a big soup pot, and add water until beans are very well-covered, two inches or more.
Bring water to a boil. Boil beans for about 10 minutes. Turn off the stovetop, and let the beans sit overnight.
I just cover them with a lid, and leave them sitting. No refrigeration needed, in my experience.
The Next Morning…
The next morning, you can do one of two things: crockpot or soup pot, or Dutch oven on the stove. Both is the same concept. We are cooking low and slow all day, at least 6 hours, up to 8 hours. (Also, this translates easily to an open fire. Follow all these steps except hang pot over a fire all day!)
To the soup pot that has been sitting overnight, add the following:
-Bacon!
I brown my chopped-up bacon on an iron skillet right before I add to the pot. Add grease and crispy bacon pieces to the beans. This makes them extra yummy. If you don’t have delicious bacon on hand, fatback thrown into the pot is the more traditional way to do beans.
-1 ½ tbsp dried onion flakes
-2 tsp garlic powder
-3 tsp salt, sometimes more
-1 tsp pepper
If you’re using the Crockpot, the best invention ever, just turn on low for 8 hours.
If you’re using the soup pot on the stove eye, just keep a check on it to make sure it’s simmering all day. I suppose if you boiled them quite rapidly it may be ready in 4 or 6 hours.
If you want to cook over an open fire—just keep an eye on them. Cook all day.
Whatever method you choose, just make sure the water doesn’t cook out. You want to keep the liquid above the beans.
Once they are nice and soft, it’s time to eat.
To keep with the theme, you may want to serve with cornbread and a big ol’ onion.
Old Timey Soup Beans
Ingredients
For the night before cooking:
- 2 lb dried pinto beans
- Enough water to cover beans by 2 inches
For the next day:
- 1/2-1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped reserve grease for beans, as well
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp salt more to taste, if needed
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the night before:
- Rinse and strain the dried beans two or three times before adding soaking water.
- After rinsing, add the beans to the soup pot, and cover them with water. You will need to have them covered by at least two inches.
- Bring the water and dried beans to a quick boil.
- Boil for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the stove top, cover the soup pot, and let the beans sit overnight, no need to refrigerate.
For the next day:
- Cook your bacon, if using, in an iron skillet until crispy. Transfer the bacon and the bacon grease to the soup pot.
- Add the dried onion flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- If you are using the stovetop, turn on the eye and simmer slowly all day. If you are using a crockpot, turn it to low to cook all day, 4-6 hours, depending on your chosen method. Check them for softness, and then enjoy!
