We grew up on Soup Beans and Cornbread. You might also call them Pinto Beans and Cornbread. Anyway you call it, it's a cheap eat and very filling for your family. Growing up, we had some very "lean" times. During these times, my Momma would always make a big pot of Soup Beans. We could eat several meals from just one pot. We didn't always have a "meat" to put in the pot, but it always tasted great!
This is how I make this family favorite:
...in a bowl...
...or on a plate.
Soup Beans
2 lbs dried Pinto Beans, sorted and rinsed $2.00
2 quarts of water
ham bone, ham hock or smoked turkey leg or wings (leftovers from a Holiday Ham)
2 bay leaves $.03
1 teaspoon salt
Add the ham bone (or your choice of meat), bay leaves and salt and bring the pot of beans back to a boil and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. Check the doneness of the beans after one hour to see if they are soft enough, if not, continue cooking to your liking.
We always serve Soup Beans with a pone of cornbread. This is cornbread baked in a round cast iron skillet not in a square baking dish. And our cornbread is not sweet.
To make the cornbread, I use a packaged cornmeal mix from the store. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Add the recommended amount of fat or oil from the package directions to the skillet to get it hot. Mix up the cornmeal mix according to the package directions and add the hot oil to the bowl, leaving about 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot oil in the cast iron skillet. Mix up the cornmeal mix and pour into the hot skillet. Allow it to sit on the stove top for about 1-2 minutes (you might start to see little bubbles come to surface, that means it's ready for the oven) and then finish baking it in the preheated oven. When it's done, flip it out onto a plate and enjoy.
Yummy!
This post has been linked to:
- Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
- Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
- Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam
- Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
- Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
8 comments:
This makes me miss my Grandma Wilson. I think I'll get out her 75 year old seasoned cast-iron skillet and make a pone of cornbread!
That looks delicious!!
Funny!! We are eating this tonight!! My favorite all time dinner. We also add fried taters for a side sometimes.
This looks great! I think I might try to make this next week - simple is yummy!
Thanks!! I am always looking for new bean recipes.
I love to cook a big pot of pinto beans and cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, too! Must be southern girls! I have spinach on the side instead of collards and often some oven-fried potatoes. Never had chow-chow, but my folks used to eat it. (I thought it was made from green tomatoes?)
Your pics are great! I can't seem to make mine look good.
:)
I make my soup beans pretty much the same as you, only I don't use bay leaves. I soak my beans over night, then put them in the crock pot, along with leftover ham, or even a couple slices of bacon. Then I cook it on low for about 7 to 8 hours. I add a tablespoon of salt during the last hour or so of cooking. That's the way my mom did it, and I follow that tradition. Your right about the name to, everyone in my family called them soup beans, but very rarely do I hear anyone else refer to them that way. It was cool to see your comment about them. :)
Growing up in WV, I ate these all the time, but when my grandfather died, the recipe for soup beans disappeared. Thanks for this posting, and for keeping all of the old favorites alive!
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