How to cook 15 bean soup Crock pot no soak or soaked. An easy hearty meal we love for dinner year round. Add ham or Kielbasa sausage if you like and/or Cajun seasonings for a spicy kick. If you loved our No Soak Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup but you want to cook dry beans in a slow cooker this is the answer.
This is literally the easiest way to make a hearty meal with a variety of legumes. Grab a bag of Bush’s beans in a bag that are dry from the store to slow cook or make Pressure Cooker Chili With Dry Beans with them! Not only does it give you a lot of different textures but colors and flavors all together too. (affiliate links present)
15 Bean Soup with Ham Slow Cooker
Adding meat is another add in, but optional of course but makes it more of a meal than a side dish. Ham works too after the holidays, I have done this many times with leftovers or ham hocks like with our Slow Cooker Ham and Beans, just so good. I will share a no soak or pre-soaked beans directions below.
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Cajun 15 Bean Soup
You can easily make this spicy if you would like to, or leave it mild. You can change this up with the type of meat you add in, and seasonings. Cajun seasoning you can buy bottled and adjust to your liking. Frank’s Red Hot sauce is another option to add some heat, chili powder or red pepper flakes. Start with a bit at the beginning and add more when done to your liking.
What to put in 15 bean soup?
- 1 bag Hurst 15 bean soup mix dry beans, 20 oz.
- Onion diced
- Minced garlic
- Celery chopped
- Carrots peeled and diced
- Bell pepper diced
- Diced tomatoes 14 oz.
- Sausage, kielbasa, diced ham or Crockpot ham hocks ham bones are great too
- Chicken broth
- Bay leaves
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Cajun seasoning is optional, ONLY if you want it spicy or use seasoning packet if it comes with one
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Navy beans
2. Black beans
3. Pinto beans
4. Garbanzo beans
5. Small lima beans
6. Large Lima Beans
7. Kidney beans
8. Small red beans
9. Great Northern beans
10. Black eyed peas
11. Lentils
12. Split peas
13. Barley
14. Cranberry Beans
15. Pink Beans
Do you need to soak beans before cooking in a slow cooker?
That depends on whom you ask. You can make it either way. Soaking beans can significantly reduce the overall cooking time, even when using a slow cooker. This step also breaks down some of the complex sugars that can cause gas and bloating, tends to have a more uniform texture when cooked, and can remove some of the anti-nutrients like phytic acid, which can interfere with nutrient absorption.
How long do you cook 15 bean soup in Crockpot?
The cook time is an average of 8 hours, that is whether they have been soaked or un-soaked. The difference between the two is that if you skip this step it needs to be set to high vs. low if you do choose to soak dry beans overnight instead. A bit longer if you want them softer, everyone has different preferences when it comes to texture.
How to Cook 15 Bean Soup in Slow Cooker
- Place the rinsed beans into the slow cooker.
- Add diced vegetables of your choice, sliced sausage, bay leaves, dried thyme, and oregano.
- Pour in the broth until all the ingredients are submerged. Stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 6 to 8 hours for no soak method.
- if using the soaked method overnight use 1 cup less liquid and cook on low 8-10 hours instead.
- Check the beans for tenderness; they should be soft but not mushy.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Add salt, pepper, add any cajun seasoning, or hot sauce now if you would like it hot.
- Once the beans are tender and the flavors have melded together, remove the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls. Parmesan on top is a great add on.
How many calories are in 15 bean soup?
That depends on what you add other than the dried beans themselves. In our case I added sliced sausage, diced tomatoes, broth and some vegetables so there are a bit more calories but more protein as well. For a typical 4 ounce bowl you will likely have 450 calories or so, less if you don’t add meat into the mix. It is a low fat healthy meal overall.
Soaking overnight allows them to swell and reduces bloating. If you don’t have time for this you can quick soak dry beans by boiling in water for 4 minutes, covering and allowing to sit in the pot for 1 hour instead of 8 hours overnight! You will get a similar outcome this way but faster!
Anything can be overcooked of course it can. If this happens you will notice that beans will break and become mushy. The outcome of this means that there is less texture, the beans are no longer whole and it will begin to thicken because of this. Still edible but not as pleasurable to the palate.
Does 8 hours low equal 4 hours high in a Crockpot?
Not really. While you can sometimes adjust cooking times between low and high settings, it’s not always a direct conversion. The low setting on a slow cooker typically heats food to around 190°F to 200°F. High setting on a slow cooker heats food to around 300°F to 350°F so it isn’t twice as hot and even if it was that doesn’t mean faster is better, quite the opposite.
15 Bean Soup Crock Pot
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 bag 15 bean soup mix, dry beans, 20 oz.
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14 oz.
- 1 lb. kielbasa, sliced
- 8 c chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning, ONLY if you want it spicy
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sort through the beans, discarding any debris. Rinse under cold water and drain. Place the rinsed beans into the slow cooker. Add diced onion, garlic, chopped celery, diced carrots, diced bell pepper, canned tomatoes, sliced sausage, bay leaves, dried thyme, and oregano.
- Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth (1 cup less if beans were soaked overnight) until all the ingredients are submerged. Stir gently to combine.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on high heat for 6 to 8 hours if not soaked or on low for 8-10 hours is soaked overnight. Check the beans for tenderness; they should be soft but not mushy.
- Around 30 minutes before serving, taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed. Add salt, pepper, add any cajun seasoning, or hot sauce now if you would like it hot.
- Once the beans are tender and the flavors have melded together, remove the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The slow cooking process melded the flavors beautifully, resulting in a hearty and delicious meal that my whole family loved. I highly recommend giving this recipe a try for a cozy and nutritious dinner!
Beans soup is my favorite soup!! Thanks for these easy instructions to make it in crock pot!
Loved how filling this soup was and the flavors were great!