If You Give a Kid a Crockpot: 15 Bean Soup

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you several recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

There’s nothing more cozy than a bowl of hearty soup, and this 15 Bean Soup fits the bill. Easy to make in your crock pot, this simple dump and go recipe makes the perfect meal for a chilly day. Make sure to save this recipe for later - it's sure to hit the spot!

Crockpot 15 Bean Soup

20 oz. bag 15 bean blend, sorted and rinsed, seasoning packet discarded

1 medium onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, sliced into rounds (approx. 2 cups)

4 stalks celery, chopped (approx. 1 cup)

1 tsp cracked pepper coarsely ground

2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup soy sauce

6 cups vegetable broth

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

meat of choice (optional)

1. Wash the sorted dry beans. Place them into a pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Let them soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine beans, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, soy sauce, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes in slow cooker. 
3. Mix well and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. Remove bay leaves from soup and discard. 
5. Serve soup with a side of bread or cornbread.

How to Quick Soak Beans

If you don’t have time to soak the beans in advance, you can rinse them, place them in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the beans uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and then let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour. Drain the beans in a colander, rinse them under cold water, and proceed with steps 2-4 of the recipe.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Ingredient Substitutions):

As written, the 15 Bean Soup recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan, but this recipe is easy to change to suit your needs. If you don't want to make this as a vegetarian soup, you can add these types of meat to this recipe with the ingredients in step 2:

• 1 pound cooked and drained ground beef or turkey
• 1 pound cooked and drained sausage or kielbasa
• 2 cups cooked and diced ham 
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or turkey

Since you only need a small amount of meat to add to the soup, this recipe is a good way to use up  leftover turkey or ham around holidays like Easter or Thanksgiving. If you're adding extra meat to the soup, you may want to add an extra 2 cups of broth.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Browning ground meat (optional)
• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Sauteing vegetables
• Setting a timer
• Soaking beans
• Using a crockpot
• Washing and sorting dry beans

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Pot: One Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

The ultimate comfort food, this Chicken and Dumplings recipe is easy to prep in 15 minutes or less! Fresh veggies and a few pantry shortcuts makes this Southern classic a doable meal for weeknight dinners. 

One Pot Chicken and Dumplings

3 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

32 oz chicken broth

2 10.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup

2 soup cans of water

2 cups shredded chicken

Flour

1 can of 8 Pillsbury Grands Biscuits

1. Heat olive oil in heavy stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.
2. Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, water, and shredded chicken. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Flour a clean counter and roll out biscuits to desired thinness. Cut with a pizza cutter to
4. 1-inch squares. Repeat with each biscuit.
5. Drop biscuit pieces by handfuls into simmering soup pot, stirring after each addition.
6. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Ingredient Substitutions):

2 cups of shredded chicken equals approximately:

• 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• ½ rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 2 12.5 oz cans shredded cooked chicken, drained

You can substitute:

• 1 10.5 oz can of peas and carrots, drained or 1 bag of frozen peas and carrots for fresh, chopped carrots and celery
• 1 can of cream of celery soup for one of the cream of chicken soups

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Boiling vs. simmering
• Chopping vegetables
• Measuring ingredients
• Reading and following a recipe
• Rolling dough
• Sauteing vegetables
• Setting a timer

Mama Said Knock You Out (Prep Ahead for Easy Dinners):

You can cook the chicken ahead of time for this recipe and assemble the rest of the recipe on a different day.

If cooking chicken breasts ahead of time, add them to a crockpot in a single layer. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, checking at the earliest time. Use your meat thermometer to be sure the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. Let rest 10 minutes before transferring to a clean bowl or cutting board to shred. 

If you have more than the 2 cups of shredded chicken needed for this recipe after you're finished cooking it, it will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and can be used in other recipes. If needed, you can let it cool, and then portion it out into freezer bags or reusable plastic containers to freeze for other recipes in the future. Make sure to label and date any food item that you freeze.

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days

If You Give a Kid a Casserole Dish: Loaf Pan Lasagna

Over the next several weeks, we'll be bringing you several recipes for beginning cooks designed to teach basic cooking skills. So be on the lookout for all the recipes in the series. Today's recipe is part of the Cooking Challenge series.

This recipe is a classic meat lasagna recipe but with directions adjusted to bake in a loaf pan so that you are making just the right amount for two people. If you double the recipe, you can easily skip that suggestion and assemble it in a casserole dish instead. 

With a 25 minute prep time, this recipe comes together in no time flat and is the perfect small batch pasta dish. Pair this lasagna with garlic bread and a side salad, and you've got a quick weeknight meal.

Loaf Pan Lasagna for Two

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz lean ground beef

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

12 oz. marinara sauce

1 large egg

1 cup (8 oz) ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan

1 box no-boil, oven ready lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Sauté onion and minced garlic until translucent, about 4 minutes. 
3. Add ground beef and use a spoon to break it into pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 to 6 minutes. 
4. Add the Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute. Stir in the pasta sauce and let simmer while you make the ricotta mixture. 
5. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and mix well. Set aside.
6. Layer the sauce, ricotta mixture and noodles in the following order:
   - Spread 1/4 cup meat sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan.
   - Add 2 noodles to cover sauce, breaking the ends off, if necessary, to fit the size of the pan.
   - Spread ricotta filling onto the noodles in the pan followed by meat sauce mixture. Make sure to cover all parts of the noodles with sauce so that all parts of the noodles cook completely through.
    - Repeat layering noodles, ricotta filling, and meat sauce.
   - Top the final layer of meat sauce with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on 375 for 40 min. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

You Can Get with This or You Can Get with That (Recipe Substitutions):

• Substitute the ground beef for Italian sausage or ground turkey. 
• If using beef with a higher fat content, make sure to drain the fat before moving on to Step 4.
• Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder or 1/2 tablespoon of dried onion flakes for the fresh chopped onion.
• Substitute garlic powder or jarred minced garlic for fresh minced garlic.
• Lazy Lasagna Option: Use steps 1-4 to make meat pasta sauce. Substitute 25 oz. bag of frozen ravioli for ricotta mixture and lasagna noodles. Mix pasta sauce and frozen ravioli in a 9 X 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.
• Easy Spaghetti Night Option: Use steps 1-4 to make meat pasta sauce. Serve over spaghetti noodles with a side of garlic bread and salad.

This Is How We Do It (Kitchen Skills You'll Learn in This Recipe):

• Browning ground meat
• Chopping vegetables
• Cracking eggs
• Measuring ingredients
• Preheating an oven
• Reading and following a recipe
• Sauteing vegetables
• Setting a timer

Mama Said Knock You Out (Prep Ahead for Easy Dinners):

Double the recipe and freeze one to enjoy later. You can freeze your extra lasagna either before or after cooking. 

Make your extra lasagna in a disposable aluminum pan; wrap twice in plastic wrap and once in aluminum foil. If you are baking the lasagna before freezing it, allow the lasagna to cool completely before wrapping it. 

When ready to cook the frozen lasagna, remove it from the freezer the day before you want to bake it. This will help it bake more quickly in the oven. Bake according to instructions in Step 7 above.

If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge

This recipe is part of the three-part If You Give a Kid a Cooking Challenge recipe series. These recipes are designed to: 

• be easier to make
• have a minimal number of ingredients (minus pantry staples like oil and spices)
• be quick to prep 
• make enough for one person to have leftovers for a few days