Bean Soup

             I have looked at those bags at the grocery that says 17 bean soup. They look pretty but, kinda... I don't know, vegetarian.  Well, I finally decided to go for and just try it. So, here is the recipe I used. (You know I had to use my crock-pot).

1 bag of 17 bean soup (if there is a flavor packet, throw it away. It can't be good for you).
1 10 oz can Rotel
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 onion
1 box of vegetable broth
2 cloves of garlic
Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

-First I rinsed the beans in a colander and pulled out any bad ones or rocks, etc.
-Then put them in a slow cooker with water. Fill enough water to fill the the crock 2/3 to 3/4 full.
-Put the crock on high for  one hour to an hour and a half.
-After the hour is up, pour the beans into a colander again dumping all of the water. Rinse the beans again.(This gets rid of the gassy water. This is instead of soaking overnight.)
Return beans to crock. Add all other ingredients except the salt. (Cooking beans in salt results in tough beans). Including adding extra water to fill crock up until it is 3/4 full.
- Cook for about 8 hours on high. You can cook for longer if you like.
-Add Salt at the end for flavor.

The verdict: My husband loved them. He actually ate half the pot alone. Also, very good the next day. We put it over pasta the second day.

Rotel is so good. I had never used it because we couldn't find it here in California. Now that I found it at Target and if was on sale for .87 a can.

Try the recipe and let me know what you think.