Hearty Vegan Bean Soup

I used to make this soup with diced center cut ham, but I have adapted the recipe to a vegan recipe. I was looking for something filling and full of flavor the other night, so I came up with this. It was REALLY good! I think everything was organic except the beans. I also did not measure (I never do) so these are estimates. You can add more peas or add something totally different like carrots if you like. It has a lot of stock and a lot of water so plan on eating it for a few days or give some to your favorite neighbor.

1 package of Hurst's 15 Bean Dried Mix- trash the included "ham flavor" packet
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of northern beans
3/4 cup of frozen peas
5 tablespoons of fresh minced parsley
2 med-large onions- diced and carmelized
2-medium potatoes- peeled and diced
6 cups of veggie stock
12 cups of water
1 tablespoon of Vegan Bacon bits- optional (gives it that ham flavor though)
1 1/2 teaspoons of medium grind pepper- or to your taste
1 tablespoon of sea salt -I added more than this I think


1.Place beans in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts of water or enough to cover them about 2 inches above the beans. Allow beans to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours in fridge. I soaked mine for 48.

2.After soaking, drain in colander and add to large stock pot. Add veggie stock and water to beans. Bring beans to boil, add salt and reduce heat and simmer uncovered for a total of 1 ½ - 2 hours.

3.While you are waiting for your beans to boil and come down to a simmer, sauté onions  in olive oil. Add pepper after they turn translucent and then lightly caramelize.

4.Add sautéed onions and tomatoes to the beans. Also throw in vegan bacon bits if you are going to add them.

5. Add diced potatoes, canned beans, peas and parsley around the last 20 minutes of cooking. Some of the beans break down so much that I end up adding in more beans at the end of cooking.

Remember this can be adjusted to your taste.
Enjoy!