You will need:
- 20 oz. Bag of Hurst's HamBeens Brand Cajun 15 Bean Soup Dried Beans with Hurst's Cajun Seasoning Packet Inside (don't use the whole packet, only use a heaping teaspoon of the Cajun Seasoning Packet towards the end of cooking time)
- Package Farmland Brand Smoked Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces In Natural Juices, Fully Cooked, (I used a 1.25 pound package)
- 1 Can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 Yellow onion chopped
- 2 Heaping teaspoons of minced garlic (refrigerated)
- 1/4 cup Chopped green and red bell pepper (I used frozen)
- 1 tsp. Sea salt
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- Sprinkle of pepper and salt to taste when done
- Splash of apple cider vinegar (splashed in the last 30 minutes of cooking to reduce gas)
Place beans on a dish cloth and inspect them to remove any debris from the beans, (I have on occasion found small pebbles in dried beans before, so I don't skip this step).
Place beans in a large bowl, cover beans with water, soak overnight or 8 hours
Drain beans in a colander and place them in a large pot or dutch oven pot, cover with fresh water, add package of spiral ham slices and pieces with juices, add a teaspoon of sea salt, undrained can of diced tomatoes, chopped yellow onion, minced garlic, sprinkle of garlic powder and pepper, and the chopped green and red bell peppers. Bring to a boil and then cover pot with lid and reduce heat to medium and cook at a slow boil simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 4-5 hours, adding more water as needed and turning down the heat to low after the beans get tender. About an hour before serving and when the beans are fairly tender, add 1 heaping teaspoon of the Hurst Cajun Seasoning that is included with the beans in a packet, I didn't add all of the packet because I didn't know how it tasted, and I didn't want my beans and ham to be cajun spicy, I just wanted some good flavoring. Note: I used a slightly heaping spoon full of the seasoning measured with a small spoon from my kitchen utensil drawer- instead of an actual measuring spoon, to measure out the seasoning..... that amount of seasoning was perfect, for our taste, very flavorful, it didn't need the entire package. About 30 minutes before serving add a splash of the apple cider vinegar and more salt to taste and pepper to taste.
Serve with sweet cornbread, we used Jiffy Brand Honey Cornbread
Servings: 6 Bowls
This makes a delicious pot of soup that would feed a crowd or allow for a lot of leftovers. I have to say this is on our list of very favorite soups of all time! It does not taste like a cajun soup, I guess because I did not use but a heaping teaspoon of the season packet included with the beans, but it just has great flavor.
Enjoy!
Tip: I've read recently, that anything in the ingredients that is acidic should be added to dry beans in the last 30 minutes of cooking to cut the acid, make the beans soft faster as they cook and cut gas in the beans. I suppose in this recipe that the beans would be tender quicker, if waiting to add in the undrained canned tomatoes until the last 30 minutes or so of cooking. I added my canned tomatoes at the beginning of cooking and it turned out great, but I may try adding them the last 30 minutes of cooking next time to see if there's a difference and to see if the beans get tender more quickly. I'll update this post at a later date to tell you if there was a difference. I will say that adding the splash of apple cider vinegar during the last 30 minutes of cooking did cut the amount of gas in the beans and make a difference in digesting the beans easier. I've also read that not adding the salt until the last part of cooking helps the beans get tender faster as well, but I just wasn't willing to take a chance on the beans being not salted enough, so I added in some at the start of cooking and then more to taste when tender and ready to serve.