If you’ve never had a good hearty bowl of soup before, you’re missing out on a treat. It is very simple and easy to do. A good-tasting soup can be eaten at any time of the year, especially in winter. Be prepared by having ingredients available ahead of time or on hand. Most ingredients can be stored on the shelf until ready to use, such as dry, canned, and packaged items.

Ingredients:
½ cup dried black beans
½ cup dry navy beans
½ cup dry small kidney beans
½ cup dry small kidney beans
1 package onion soup mix
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
2 cans (8 ounces) chicken broth
1 package powdered turkey gravy mix
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon margarine or olive oil
½ teaspoon crushed red bell peppers (optional)
Salt to taste (do not overdo it)

Optional:
3 – 4 minced smoked turkey necks or smoked neck bones or smoked ham knuckles
your choice of bread
Rice of your choice

If you’re watching your salt intake, use low-sodium broth and pre-boil smoked meat for 20 minutes to remove some of the salt content.
Servings – You should get a minimum of 4 servings or more, depending on your appetite, from this recipe.

Addresses:
1. Start this recipe the night before. Take a large bowl and put the four different beans together. Then add water to the top of the container. Place a lid or plate to cover the beans. Let the beans soak overnight, covered.

2. The next day, remove the water from the beans that have been soaking overnight and rinse them. Place the beans in a large pot. Then fill the pot with water to cover the beans, at least an inch above the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and reduce the heat to a medium boil for an hour. Add water as needed until tender. Remember to keep the water about an inch above the top of the beans at all times.

(Optional: Next, place the beans to come to a boil. In another large pot, place the smoked meat of your choice in water to boil for approximately 20 minutes. After the meat boils, pour in the boiling water and place the meat in the pot with the beans). Continue boiling them together.

3. In a saucepan, place the chopped onions, garlic, and green onions together. Sauté the onion and garlic lightly (do not burn) and put them in the pot with the beans. Also, add onion soup mix, chicken broth, turkey gravy mix, soy sauce, and black pepper. Salt to taste, if necessary.

4. Let the beans simmer, slowly after one hour of medium boiling, until the beans and meat are tender.

Special Note: Do not stir frequently. You can fold them several times so that the spices pass through and prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you stir often, you may have musky beans.

Serve the beans with bread or rice or both. Now that you’ve made your four bean soup, you’re probably ready to make most soups with the basic ingredients listed above.