Cooking Time & Servings

Minnesota Heartland 11 Bean Soup Recipe

You Will Also Need

  • Minnesota Heartland 11-Bean Soup Mix
  • 1 Smoked ham hock (substitute a smoked turkey leg)
  • 12 cups Water
  • 1 Can Italian plum tomatoes, cut up (29 oz.)
  • 2 cups Celery, sliced (about 4 stalks)
  • 2 cups Onions, chopped (about 2 onions)
  • 1 Green pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp Garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 cups Chicken breast pieces, raw or cooked
  • 1 Package smoked Kielbasa sausage (14-16 oz.)

Here's What You Do

Preparing the beans:

  1. Pick through the beans. Remove discolored, shriveled beans and any foreign material. Rinse well.
  2. Place the beans into a 6-8 quart pot with ham hock and 12 cups cold water.
  3. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

Preparing the soup:

  1. Add contents of soup mix seasoning packet, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, garlic and salt. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 1 hour.
  2. Cut up chicken and add to soup pot.
  3. Slice kielbasa sausage lengthwise into quarters. Slice crosswise to make little wedges. Add sausage to soup pot.
  4. Return pot to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes
  5. Remove ham hock from pot. Dice meat and return meat to soup pot before serving.

Recipe Adaptations

Vegan

This vegetable 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.

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 beans into bowl of slow cooker.
  3. Add the bouquet garni, ham hock, and 12 cups water. (Leave out the salt.)
  4. Cover and cook on HIGH 6-8 hours.
  5. Add tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, diced sausage and cut up chicken. Stir well.
  6. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 more hours, or transfer to the stove to cook more quickly.
  7. 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.

Recipe Variations

We don’t currently have a recipe variation for this soup, please send us yours!

Cooking & Nutrition Tips

Remember these are soup-starter mixes, you can’t go wrong! Feel free to omit any of our recommended additions and/or add any of your favorites!

  • To cut sodium, omit salt, prepare with no salt added canned diced tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes.
  • To reduce sodium: use a low-sodium broth, bone broth, or stock.
  • For added protein: add a can of your favorite bean (black, chickpea, navy, etc), chicken breast, or other plant-based protein option.
  • For added nutrition: look in your fridge/garden and add any vegetables you have on hand!