Under Ten Meal Series: Pork and Bean Soup

For tonight’s supper I decided to cook something warm and savory because it is cold and dreary outside. I love a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. So I will be sharing the recipe for pork and bean soup. As always I did my shopping at Walmart to save some money.

Ingredients List:

• 1/2 cup black beans dried - 98 cents/ 1 lb bag (about three cups)
• 1/2 cup kidney beans dried - 98 cents/ 1 lb bag (about three cups)
• 1/2 cup pinto beans dried - 98 cents/ 1 lb bag (about three cups)
• 1 lb pork shoulder on the bone $2.98/ lb
• 1 chopped onion 50 cents/ lb
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes $2.95/ container of 40
• Or 3 cups chicken broth $1.95/ 30 oz

Preparation:

Step one: Prepare the beans. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you are going to need to prep the beans the night before. They need to soak in water for eight hours. However, if you have a pressure cooker they take approximately 30 minutes to cook.

Step two: Cook pork shoulder until it falls off the bone. I cooked mine in the pressure cooker with a cup of water and a chopped onion for about 30 minutes. It came right off the bone. But you can also cook it on the stove in a pot of water or however you usually cook meat.

Step three: After meat is fully cooked pull it off the bones and put the meat back into the broth and onion mixture. Discard the bones.

Step four: If using bouillon cubes boil three cups water and dissolve bouillon cubes to make broth. Add broth or bouillon cubes to the pot or pressure cooker.

Step five: Pour in the three different types of beans into the broth. Stir them as they will all sink to the bottom if you are using the pressure cooker method. They will be like little bean stones.

Step six: Cook for another 30 minutes to cook the beans if using a pressure cooker. If you prepared the beans the night before bring the mixture to a boil and make sure beans are tender. Season to taste. I used salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and a dash of chili powder to add a little kick.

Step seven: Add a little cornstarch to thicken up the broth into a stew texture. Serve warm and enjoy with bread if you choose to. I served it with cornbread and it was a big hit in my house.

This meal is cheap and very filling for pretty darn cheap. If you already have the bouillon cubes it cuts down on the price of the dish and the beans I barely used any of the bag of beans meaning that I can use them for other dishes in the future which is great if you have a small budget like I do. The total cost of this particular dish was $9.37 assuming that I had to buy the bouillon cubes which I did not this time because I already had some lying around the cupboards. If you're feeling adventurous you could add some hotter spices and kick the soup into chili territory, but if you just want something savory this could be just the soup for you. With the way the men in my house eat we usually don’t have leftovers but this meal served four people including seconds and had leftovers to spare. A good way to feed a crowd on a tight budget. This meal is nothing fancy but it is sure to satisfy and will feed a good number of people with no problem.

I hope you enjoyed this warm treat.