MINNESOTA HEARTLAND ELEVEN BEAN SOUP MIX

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.

To boost vegetables, add additional can tomatoes and/or add 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen halved Brussel sprouts or green beans in final 5 minutes of cooking time.

To cut saturated fat and sodium, halve the amount of sausage and prepare with low-fat, lower sodium chicken sausage as substitute for sausage and ham hock, or substitute 1 pound extra lean ground turkey or pork plus 1/2 teaspoon each salt-free garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper, or go Vegetarian. Remove any skin from chicken breast.

To cut sodium, omit salt, prepare with no salt added canned diced tomatoes or diced fresh tomatoes. For the Vegetarian Variation suggestions on the package and website, substitute 1-3 teaspoons chipotle chile pepper spice for the barbecue sauce, and prepare with brown basmati rice and wild rice blend.

To make our Minnesota Heartland 11 Bean Soup without meat but still get that rich smokey flavor - reduce the water and add barbeque sauce or liquid smoke! 
1. Prepare beans as directed. Place beans into 6 or 8-quart pot with 8 cups cold water. Raise heat, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low 3 hours. 
2. Add in all vegetables. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 1 hour
3. For the final hour of cooking, add 1 cup of barbecue sauce or 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (or to taste).

A customer called needing a strict vegetarian version of our hearty bean soup to feed boy scouts on a camping trip. We like the results as it is thick and chock full of veggies.

If you'd like to add some of the smoky flavor from the original recipe - try adding some barbeque sauce or liquid smoke to taste. This thick and chunky rice and bean soup is sure to satisfy even a pack of 10 hungry boy scouts!

What you need:
• 8 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 Cups Mixed Rice Blend (like a Lundberg rice mix)
• 1 Large Onion, Chopped (2 cups)
• 2 Cups Celery, Sliced
• 1 teaspoon Garlic, Minced
• 1 Green Pepper, Chopped
• 1 16-ounce Bag Mixed Frozen Vegetables
• 1 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
• ¼ Cup Juice of 1 Lemon
• Plenty of freshly ground black pepper, salt if needed
• 1 teaspoon Oregano (or use a seasoning blend)

Here's what you do:
Preparing the Beans
1. Place contents of soup mix/beans in large bowl, cover with plenty of water and soak overnight. Save the seasoning packet for later.
2. In the morning, drain the beans, place into 4 quart pot with plenty of fresh water.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low, cover, and simmer 1½ hours.
Preparing the Soup
1. Add broth to large 6 or 8 quart pot. Add the rice and the seasoning packet and bring to boil. Turn heat down, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Drain beans and add to soup pot with broth. Add onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic.
3. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Add bag of frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste, and oregano.
5. Simmer covered 15 minutes. Serve with crusty wheat bread!

You will use bell pepper, eggplant, garlic, and oregano, and vegetable broth to replace the meat in this variation.

What you need:
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Large Eggplant, diced
• 8 Cups Water or vegetable broth 
• 1-29 oz Can Italian Plum Tomatoes, cut-up
• 4 Stalks Celery, sliced (2 cups)
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced (3 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Oregano

Here's what you do:
1. Rinse, drain and pick over beans. Place beans in a 6-8 quart pot, add 8 cups water or broth and add seasoning packet.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 3 or more hours.
3. Add all vegetables to pot, bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Recommended slow cooker size: 6-7 quart size

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.

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.