There She Grows Again

There are people and then there are “soup people”.  My mom, Bunny, is a soup person and so am I!!!  The majority of time I make soup it’s from my heart and not a recipe and I love that.  The bummer thing about that is, when you come up with a really good pot of soup it’s hard to re-create it when you were just throwing things together.  Luckily for us, this Navy Bean Soup is one that my mom has been making for years and she does have a recipe for it and now you do too.

To make this soup vegetarian/vegan, just substitute the chicken broth and the milk for vegetable stock/broth.

Bunny’s Navy Bean Soup

• 1 pound dry navy beans
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 to 3 cups milk (I use chicken broth instead of milk)

Directions

1. Rinse beans and put in a large pot.  Add 6 cups of cold water, cover the pot and soak beans overnight. – OR – Rinse beans and put in a large pot.  Combine beans with 6 cups of cold water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer beans for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 1 hour.
2. Drain and rinse beans.  Return beans to large pot or dutch oven, add chicken broth, cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally.  Discard bay leaves.  Mash beans slightly.  Stir in 2 cups milk (or chicken broth) and heat through.  You may need to add more milk (or chicken broth), up to 1 cup or so if you think the soup is too thick.
3. Ladle into soup bowls…enjoy!!!