Cooking Time & Servings

Minnesota Heartland 11 Bean Soup - Standard Recipe

You Will Need

  • Minnesota Heartland Eleven Bean Soup Mix
  • 1 smoked ham hock (or smoked turkey leg)
  • 12 cups water
  • 1 can (29 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes, cut up
  • 4 stalks celery, sliced (2 cups)
  • 2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. salt (optional)
  • 2 cups chicken breast pieces (raw or cooked, 8-10z.)
  • 1 package smoked kielbasa sausage (14-16 oz.)

Here's What You Do

  1. Pick through the beans. Remove discolored, shriveled beans and any foreign material. Rinse well.
  2. Place beans into a 6 or 8-quart pot with ham hock and 12 cups cold water.
  3. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 3 hours.
  4. Add contents of soup mix seasoning packet, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, garlic, and salt(optional). Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
  5. Cut up chicken and add to soup pot.
  6. Slice kielbasa sausage lengthwise into quarters. Slice crosswise to make little wedges. Add sausage to soup pot.
  7. Return pot to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
  8. Remove ham hock from pot. Dice meat and return meat to soup pot before serving.

Got leftovers? Learn how to cool, store, and reheat soup safely in our guide to soup storage and food safety.

Cooking & Nutrition Tips

Use the tips below to customize nutrition, boost flavor, or stretch the soup to fit your needs.

Reducing Sodium?

All of our mixes contain no added salt, only what occurs naturally in the ingredients. To further reduce sodium, use a low-sodium broth, bone broth, or stock. Organic broths often contain less sodium, and homemade broth/stock gives you the most control.

  • Use no-salt-added tomatoes or fresh diced tomatoes
  • Skip the ham hock and use leaner meats or go vegetarian

Boosting Protein?

Add cooked lean ground turkey, shredded chicken, or extra legumes like white beans, lentils, or chickpeas. Try replacing water with bone broth, topping with parmesan, hemp seeds, or serving with nutritional yeast. For creaminess and added protein, blend in a cup of white beans or silken tofu.

Cutting Calories/Fat?

  • Swap pork sausage for ground turkey or go vegetarian
  • Use skinless chicken breast

More Veggies?

  • Add an extra can of tomatoes
  • Toss in 1.5 cups fresh or frozen halved Brussels sprouts or green beans in final 5 minutes

Interested in whole grains or extra fiber?

Try adding hearty grains like barley or quinoa during the simmering process, or by incorporating high-fiber vegetables and leafy greens near the end. Pearl barley or hulled barley adds a chewy texture and significant fiber. Add roughly 1/2 to 1 cup of barley along with the broth; it will cook in 30-45 minutes. Fora faster-cooking option that provides a complete protein alongside fiber try quinoa. Add 1/2 cup of rinsed quinoa in the last 15–20 minutes of simmering. Wheat berries, farros, and brown rice are also good options.

Looking for Mediterranean-Inspired additions?

  • Add a squeeze of lemon and a dash of olive oil before serving
  • Stir in chopped kale or chard at the end of cooking

Serving and Garnish Ideas

Top with shredded cheddar, crispy bacon bits, fresh parsley, or a squeeze of lemon juice for brightness. Complement the rich, hearty texture by serving with crusty bread, cornbread, biscuits, or a simple side salad.

Cooking Methods

Slow Cooker 

Recommended slow cooker size: 6-7 quart size

Here’s What You Do:

For this all day cooker, we suggest cutting up all the vegetables and meats the night before or in the morning and refrigerate them in large plastic container so they are ready to add to the soup at the end of the day.

  1. Rinse, drain and pick over beans.
  2. Place in a bowl with water to cover by two inches and soak overnight.
  3. In the morning drain beans and place in 4-quart pot on the stove with fresh water to cover by two inches.
  4. Bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes and lower heat, simmer covered, 30 minutes.
  5. Turn off heat, and drain when ready to add to slow cooker bowl.
  6. Place beans into bowl of slow cooker.
  7. Add the bouquet garni, ham hock, and 12 cups water. (Leave out the salt.)
  8. Cover and cook on HIGH 6-8 hours.
  9. Add tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, diced sausage and cut up chicken. Stir well.
  10. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 more hours, or transfer to the stove to cook more quickly.
  11. Serve this thick and hearty soup with crusty bread and enjoy.

Pressure Cooker

Here’s What You Do:

The original long cooking Frontier Soups’ Mix, Minnesota Heartland 11- Bean can be prepared in under 2 hours with use of the pressure cooker!

Soaking Method

  1. Soak beans approximately 8 hours at room temperature, or overnight up to 24 hours.
  2. Drain beans and place in pot of pressure cooker.
  3. Add ham hock, 1 Tablespoon salt, garlic, onion, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and contents of seasoning packet. Add in 4 cups of water, ensuring not to fill over the 2/3 capacity.
  4. Set pressure cooker to 30 minutes cook time at high pressure.
  5. Allow for natural release and then remove the ham hock. Pull off the meat and put back into the pot, if desired.
  6. Add diced Kielbasa sausage and cut-up chicken (either precooked or raw), plus about 2 cups water to reach desired consistency.
  7. Stir well and use sauté setting with open pot to cook 10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

No Soaking Method

  1. Rinse, drain, and pick over beans. Set aside seasoning packet.
  2. Place beans into bowl of pressure cooker with 8 cups of water. Add Ham Hock or Smoked Turkey Leg and 1 Tablespoon of salt.
  3. Set pressure cooker for 30 minutes of cook time at high pressure. Allow for natural release.
  4. While waiting – this is a good time to chop the garlic, onion, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, kielbasa, and chicken.
  5. After the pressure has been released, add the veggies, kielbasa, chicken, and contents of the seasoning packet to the bowl of the pressure cooker and stir – Be careful not to fill over the 2/3 capacity marking.
  6. Set pressure cooker for 15 minutes of cook time at high pressure.
  7. Allow for natural release of pressure.
  8. When complete, stir in additional about 2 cups water to reach desired consistency, and serve.

Dietary Adaptations

These mixes are flexible by design. Use the adaptations below to meet your dietary needs or cooking preferences.

Vegan 

This vegan version of our original soup is thick and chock full of veggies. To replace the smoky flavor of a ham hock, we use a tad of the soy-based sauce called Liquid Smoke and add brown rice for a complete protein when combined with the beans!

What You Need:

  • 12 cups vegetable broth (96 oz.)
  • ½ cup brown rice
  • 1 large onion, chopped (1 ½ cups)
  • 4 celery stalks, sliced (2 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 can Italian plum tomatoes diced (29 oz.)
  • salt and pepper, if desired
  • Optional: 2 Tbsp. liquid smoke

Here’s What You Do:

  1. Pick though the beans. Remove discolored, shriveled beans and any foreign material. Rinse well.
  2. Place beans into a 6 or 8-quart pot with 12 cups cold water.
  3. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 3 hours.
  4. Drain the prepared beans and add to the pot with the broth. Bring back to a simmer, cover and cook 1 hour.
  5. Add brown rice, seasoning packet, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, garlic, and bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
  6. If desired, add liquid smoke and simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

Vegetarian

  • Omit meat
  • Add 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1 large diced eggplant, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1 tsp oregano
  • Simmer beans per package instructions; add vegetables and simmer 1 hour more

Gluten Free

This soup is naturally gluten free when prepared as directed. No special substitutions are needed.

Dairy Free

This soup is naturally dairy free when prepared as directed. No special substitutions are needed.

Recipe Variations

Looking to switch things up? A few simple tweaks can make this recipe your own.

Turkey & Ham Broth: Use stock made from a turkey carcass and add diced ham as the main protein for a rich, layered broth.

Tomato-Rich Twist: Stir in a spoonful of tomato paste near the end of cooking for added depth and color.

Hearty Meat Combo: Add sliced kielbasa along with chicken for an extra hearty bowl.

Garden Vegetable Boost: Stir in fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, or bell pepper while the soup simmers.

Inspired by our customers. Thanks to Jan C., Martha H., Jeff, Sarah B., Mary B., and Larry R. for sharing their ideas. Have a favorite twist of your own? Send us an email or leave a review on the product page.