Beans for Soup
Since beans and legumes are so full of fiber and a great way to reduce cholesterol, you should eat lots of them. Unfortunately, canned beans are very high in sodium. Make up a batch of these beans and freeze them, then use instead of canned beans.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound dried beans
- Water
Sort beans, then rinse well and drain. Combine in a large pot with water to cover by 1″. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover pan, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 hours.
Place pot in refrigerator and let beans soak overnight. In the morning, drain beans and rinse; drain again.
Place in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with water to just cover. Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours until beans are tender. Do not add salt or any other ingredient.
Package beans in 1-cup portions into freezer bags, including a bit of the cooking liquid in each bag. Seal, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To use, defrost in refrigerator overnight, or open bag and microwave on defrost until beans begin thawing, then stir into soup to heat.
Yields 10 cups; serving size 1 cup
Calories: 219.48
Fat: 0.16 grams
Saturated fat: 0.03 grams
Dietary fiber: 16.46 grams
Sodium: 7.08 mg
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium in Canned Beans
A cup of canned beans, even after they have been rinsed and drained, contain about 300 to 500 mg of sodium. A cup of dried beans, cooked until tender, has about 7 mg of sodium. Let your slow cooker do the cooking, and dramatically reduce your sodium intake. Cooking a large batch of beans all at once makes them almost as convenient as canned.
