Mixed Bean Soup Recipe

This mixed bean soup recipe is not only low in fat, but also cheap and therefore friendly to your waistline as well as your wallet.

You can make it even cheaper by cooking your own beans instead of buying canned ones. The soup also tastes much better that way.

Buy packets of dried beans at the supermarket or health food store. You'll find that they double or triple in weight after they've been soaked and cooked, so they're very good value.

You must prepare your dried beans before you add them to the soup. If dried beans aren't cooked properly, they can cause stomach discomfort.

Use 1/3 cup of dried beans for every cup of cooked beans you need. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Leave to soak overnight. Next day, drain thoroughly and rinse, picking over to remove any small stones.

Place the beans in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender. The exact time depends on the size of the bean, but between 1 hr and 90 minutes should do the trick.

Test the beans to make sure they're done - you should be able to mash them easily with a fork.

Alter the soup by using other beans of your choice. Soups like this are great healthy recipes for weight loss.

Mixed Bean Soup Recipe4 servings

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, sliced finely
1 carrot, diced finely
1 leek, sliced finely
400 g/14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
600 ml/1 pint/2 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
pinch of dried herbs
400 g/14 oz canned red kidney beans, drained
400 g/14 oz black-eyed peas, drained
or 500g/3 cups cooked mixed beans (prepared from 150g/1 cup dried beans, soaked and cooked as above)
Preparation

Put all the ingredients, except the beans, into a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the beans and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, or until hot.

Serve with warm crusty wholewheat bread.

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