Calico Bean Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/2 lb dried great northern beans
• 1/2 lb dried red kidney beans
• 1/2 lb dry pinto beans
• 8 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs ham hocks
• 1 bay leaf

Recipe

• 1 rinse beans; discard any stones.
• 2 in a large saucepan, heat beans and 8 cups water to boiling.
• 3 boil 2 minutes.
• 4 remove from heat.
• 5 cover an let stand 1 hour.
• 6 drain beans in a colander and rinse with water.
• 7 in same saucepan, heat butter and cook onion until tender, stirring occasionally.
• 8 add ham hocks, bay leaf, and 7 cups water.
• 9 heat to boiling.
• 10 ddd drained beans.
• 11 return to boiling.
• 12 cover and simmer beans, about 1 hour or until almost tender, stirring occasionally.
• 13 cook till beans are soft (i cooked mine about 2 1/2 to 3 hours).
• 14 remove bay leaf and ham hocks.
• 15 cool slightly and trim meat from ham bones.
• 16 add meat back to soup.
• 17 discard bay leaf and bones.
• 18 add salt and pepper to taste (it took a lot of salt and pepper).