How to cook Italian beans soup

Grandma’s Italian beans soup. When serving this beans soup make sure you have a fresh crusty loaf of bread ready to sop up all that extra soup left in the bottom of the bowl. Enjoy.

SERVINGS: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of dried beans
• 4 cups of water
• 2 Tbls of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbls of butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless smoked pork butt, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 15oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 3 15oz cans of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water

PREPARATION:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add the beans and cook for around 45 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for around 2 hours until beans a soft.
4. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Set aside.
5. In a large pot heat the olive oil and butter.
6. Saute the onions, carrots celery and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Add the diced boneless pork butt, thyme, salt, pepper and parsley, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
8. Add the beans, broth and water.
9. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer over a low flame, cover and cook for 1 to 2 hours until soup thickens. Stir occasionally during the cooking process.