Mixed Dry Bean Soup

This is an economical, easy, hearty, delicious comfort food right from the pantry! Most often you see ham bones or pork used as bases for hearty bean soups. However, I have been tickeled to discovered that beef soup bones make a WONDERFUL base for bean soups!

2C Mixed dry beans of choice
1Qrt of water
1 beef soup bone*
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp chili powder
1T lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C lentils (optional)

1. Soak your beans overnight in cold water with at least 2" water over the top of you beans. (6+ hours) OR Boil for 2 minutes, cover and remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour and proceed.

2. Put all the ingredients in the crock and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW 8-10.

3. Remove the soup bone and scrap off any meat that might be left on it. Give the dog the bone. :-)

Serves 8-10

* If you don't have a "soup bone" take a bone out of a roast with about an inch or two of meat around it and cook the roast as a boneless roast (or cut in it into pieces for stew or other dish) in the next couple of days. We buy our beef from a farmer, so we always makes sure we keep the soup bones. You could ask a butcher for soup bones too...they are cheap and make wonderful soups and stews and beans.