Description
Hearty beans, smoky pork, and winter greens make this soup a cozy and satisfying meal. Perfect for a chilly evening!
Ingredients
Units
- 20 oz (567 g) mixed dried beans and lentils
- 2-3 quarts (1.9 - 2.8 L) water
- 1 lbs (454 g) smoked pork necks (or hocks)
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz.) (425 g) can diced tomatoes
- 1 heaping Tbs smoked paprika
- couple handfuls mixed greens (such as kale and swiss chard), chopped large
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbs white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Place bean mixture in a large bowl, cover with water by a couple of inches, and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Alternatively, place in a pot, cover with water by a couple of inches, bring to a rapid boil for ~3 minutes, cover, turn off heat, and let sit for one hour. Drain water and rinse.
- Place soaked bean mixture in a large pot or Dutch oven with 2 quarts of water, pork hocks, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are tender (~1-1 1/2 hours). If using lentils, they will mostly disintegrate and thicken the liquid. Add more water if the soup is too thick.
- Add onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes with their juices, and paprika to the pot. Stir, and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
- Stir in greens and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the pork hocks, thyme stalks, and bay leaves; discard the stalks and leaves. Set the hocks aside to cool, then remove the meat from the bones and add it back to the pot.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in vinegar.
- Serve.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use bone-in smoked pork shoulder instead of necks or hocks.
- If you don’t have white wine vinegar, substitute with a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Leftover soup freezes well; store in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 700
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 15
- Protein: 20
- Cholesterol: 40