#3.5 Slow Cooker White Bean Soup

 I wanted to dabble with a little vegan dish here and there on my vegetarian list completion. My first attempt was a complete flop and not even worthy posting about. Somethings should just not be substituted bleck!

The Thursday 5 hour chem class/labs starting at 8am was killing me since last thing I wanted to do after a super long week of class was to cook. I thought it was time to break out the trusty crock pot so I could have a hot meal waiting for me for when I got home. I found this recipe and thought it would be a perfect soup for the chilly nights and something my grandparents would enjoy. As we planned a dinner date together earlier in the week. 

I prepped everything the night before and threw it all together before crossing my fingers and heading off to class. Walking in the door the smells were fantastic but....it was no where near ready. It ended up taking 10 hours total and 3 of them were on high setting. I don't know if it was the crock pot (a bit older but still got it normally) or if I needed to do more with the beans. Mashing was a bit awkward but did change it from a clear broth to a bit heartier thickness. 

Be sure you add salt at the end of cooking and I'll be posting a behind the science behind it soon. It will ruin the dish if you do it in the beginning...trust me!

Overall it was a great soup but did need a bit of something else. Not sure what though cheese, meat something. For round two the next day I did put in bacon chunks and that helped. Definitely broke the vegan/vegetarianism rule, but come on it's bacon I think that should always get a free pass. 

Slow Cooker White Bean Soup

prep time 15 min    Cook time 8 hours (eh maybe)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• ½ lb. carrots
• 4 stalks (1/2 sleeve) celery 
• 1 lb. dry navy beans 
• 1 whole bay leaf 
• 1 tsp dried rosemary 
• ½ tsp dried thyme 
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• Freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill) 
• 1½ tsp (or more to taste) salt 

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic, dice the onion, slice the celery, and slice the carrots into thin rounds. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to a large (5qt or larger) slow cooker.
2. Sort through the beans and remove any debris or stones. Give them a quick rinse and then add them to the slow cooker, along with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and some freshly cracked pepper.
3. Add SIX CUPS of water to the slow cooker and stir to combine the ingredients. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. After 8 hours, stir the soup and mash the beans slightly. Starting with just a ½ tsp, add salt to your liking. I used about 2 tsp total, but keep tasting and adding more, ½ tsp at a time, until it reaches the level that you prefer.

Serves: 6-8 (makes 9 cups)                                                  source budget bytes

If you don't want to make it vegan try adding ham hock or turkey leg with other ingredients. 

add veggies to bottom

next add the beans & seasonings

liquids go next

end result pretty tasty