Layered Mixed Bean Soup Mix This is a gift idea I saw many years ago and I made some changes to make it a bit more nourishing (like not using bouillon cubes and water , blech!!).  I have made these for many holiday gifts, teacher gifts and used them for scout projects when learning about nutrition and when making gifts!! They have always been a hit and are fairly inexpensive to make (using organic beans, I would say about $5 a jar) and the soup is a very frugal meal when made, as it makes a big pot.

The recipe is flexible so you can add as many vegetable or meats as you like.  You can also vary the type of beans you put in the mix to suit your needs.  I like to layer them like sand art, the kids have a fun time making these on their own, or you can just mix the beans up and put them in the jar that way.  I put all the spices in a small plastic container and nestle it at the top, but you could use a wax paper bag that you have folded closed or a plastic baggie or any means you find works for you.

I have a vacuum sealer machine and so I seal the jar lids on just to make sure the kids don’t spill them when they put the fabric and band lids on.  However it is not necessary to seal them.

There is no right and wrong amounts to put in, just leave enough room at the top of the jar to put the spice packet in.  I don’t really measure the beans, I just let the kids use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop the beans and put them in the jar.  A wide mouth canning funnel helps cut down on losing beans and having a mess to clean up.  I let them decide how much of each layer they want to make their pattern although I do recommend that you alternate the lighter (whitish or brown) beans with the darker (green, black, etc) beans so that you get the effect of the layers.  I do like to put the lentils or smaller items on the top layer as I find it easier to nestle the spice mixture on the top as the smaller lentils will fall into the spaces between the layer underneath.

Have fun and just change the ingredients list on the tag to reflect what you added to the mix!!  You can also vary the spices listed and create your own mix for the spice packet, google bean recipes and get ideas from there.  I used a simple Italian Herb blend (salt free) and added garlic powder and minced, dried onion along with a bay leaf and ground pepper.

I used holiday motif fabric (cut into a square with pinking shears to keep it from fraying, and make it a bit decorative, no pattern… just cut out a square to fit and trim it if necessary) and put it over the lid and then screwed the band on to hold the fabric.  A ribbon tied around the band makes it a bit more decorative.   I printed the recipe and ingredients info out on cardstock, cut them out and pasted them on colored cardstock and trimmed it with decorative scissors and tied it onto the jar with a small piece of ribbon. 

Happy Holidays!!
Lisa Imerman

 

Directions

Mixed Bean Soup
Set aside spice mix and Bay leaf.  Choose a method to soak beans.

Quick soak: Rinse and sort beans in a large pot.  Add 6-8 cups of hot water.  Bring to a rapid boil, boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Drain water and rinse beans.

Overnight soak: Rinse and sort beans in a large bowl or pot. Add 6-8 cups of cold water.  Let stand overnight, or at least 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.

To cook: Place beans in a large pot. Add:
4 cups (1 quart) chicken stock
2 cups water
Bay leaf

Simmer gently until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice) and add spice packet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 20 minutes more to blend flavors. Remove Bay leaf. Optional: Add chopped carrot (or other vegetable)with spice packet and cook until carrot is tender. Add chopped cooked chicken with spice packet or other meat (ham, beef, etc.).

 

Mixed Bean Soup Mix Ingredients:
Organic Dried Chickpeas, Organic Dried Black Turtle Beans, Organic Dried Navy
Beans, Organic Dried Split Peas, Organic Dried Pinto Beans, Organic Dried Lentils, Bay leaf, Ground Black Pepper, Granulated Garlic Powder, Dried Minced White Onion, Italian Herb Seasoning.