Maine Recipe: The Thrifty Yankee’s Navy Bean Soup

I’m loving my new vintage Maine lobster apron! However, no lobster on the menu tonight. I’m making a simple, frugal gluten-free vegan soup. I’m happy to share my own recipe with you:

Ingredients

16 oz dry Navy beans

2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups sliced celery (or a few shakes of celery seed)

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp dried parsley

Optional: black pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse and check the beans for foreign objects, then add water to cover the beans and soak for six hours in a 5 to 5 1/2 quart dutch oven. Add more water until the dutch oven is halfway filled or less for a thicker broth. Turn the stove to medium high and bring to a boil and stir. Once boiling remove any bean foam and turn the heat down to low, add the salt, garlic, dill and parsley, stir then cover. Heat the sunflower oil in a skillet on medium high, add the carrots, celery and onions and stir for about five minutes until they are evenly coated and lightly cooked in the oil. Add the vegetables to the simmering soup and cover for about one to two hours until the beans are tender, or longer for a thicker broth, stirring occasionally.

Navy beans are rich in potassium, iron and fiber. One tablespoon of sunflower oil has 28% of the RDA for vitamin E! Plus, this is a budget-friendly meal.