Cassie’s Ruminations

Navy Bean Soup

This is a take on navy bean soup that uses up some of our leftover chile rubbed pork tenderloin. I made a quick french bread loaf with my little “Just For Dinner” bread maker to go with it. It’s great for just the two of us. The hearty soup really hit the spot on yet another day of cold and snow here in the Pacific Northwest. Snowflakes are gently falling again, and it looks like we’ll have a white Christmas!

Navy Bean Soup
Makes 8 servings

1 lb (2 cups) dried navy beans
4 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Dash cayenne pepper
1 lb leftover chile rubbed pork tenderloin, cubed

Rinse the beans and sort out any rocks or bad looking beans. Put them in a large pot with 5-6 quarts of hot water. Bring to a rollicking boil and cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for one hour. Drain completely and return to the pot. Alternatively, soak beans for 8 hours and drain completely.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Using an immersion blender, puree about half of the beans. Stir to combine, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.