16 Bean Soup with Smoked Ham or Kielbasa

16 Bean Soup Mix

UPDATED 2022

It is always a good idea to buy a bag of bean soup mix to have on hand in the pantry.  This one by Goya caught my eye. 

The variety of beans and colors appealed to me. 

Beans have to be soaked and cleaned.  I find it easiest to soak them overnight.  Put them in your soup pot and cover with lots of fresh cold water -- at least 6 cups for a pound of beans.  

In the morning, rinse them well and pick out any debris or stones. 

Then, use your leftovers and your imagination to make a soup.  Or start with the recipe on the back of the bag as I did.  That's how I get myself going sometimes.  But I usually change the recipe---to intensify the flavors, or cut down on the fat or sugar, and adapt it to our personal likes; hence, the smoked ham.  And in 2022 when I made it, I couldn't find a ham hock, so I used a smoked kielbasa.  

A reader recommended adding fireroasted tomatoes, which I have started doing, so I have updated my recipe to reflect this addition.  Now I wouldn't make it without them.  

---Barbara

16 Bean Soup with Smoked Ham or Kielbasa

1 1b. Goya beans, soaked overnight, drained and cleaned
1-2 T. olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, cleaned cut in to bite size pieces
3 large carrots, cleaned and cut into bite sites pieces
4 -6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large bay leaves
.5 lb smoked ham, cut up into bite size pieces or ham hock or smoked kielbasa*
1 14.5-ounce can fireroasted tomatoes 
4 to 6 cups of chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

In the soup pot, heat the oil and add the onions.  Add the diced kielbasa or ham.  Chop up the celery and carrots, and add to the pot. Add minced garlic. Add the fireroasted tomatoes. Add the beans, bay leaf, and cover with chicken stock.  Add more chicken broth or water, if needed to cover all of the beans.  Bring to a slow boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the beans are done, about 1 to 1.5 hours.  Season at the end, and be sure to taste, and don't over salt the soup, because the ham can be very salty on its own.  I rarely have to add salt to this soup.  


* I first used a Daisy Smoked Ham, which is the type of ham sold to be cut up in baked beans.  It loses its flavor, i.e., the smoke goes into the soup, so the ham becomes ho-hum.  You can use smoked ham hocks, which is a more traditional way to add flavor to a bean soup.  Avoid smoked turkey wings due to the bones.  Smoked kielbasa is a great way to add flavor and lots of meat, if you want a heartier soup.