thirteen bean and bulgur soup

for this soup i used a dry 13-bean mix i found in the bulk food section, but you could use any bean or mix of beans. the veggie options are flexible too--corn would be good, and mushrooms, maybe even diced tomatoes and/or potatoes. bulgur could be replaced with pasta or rice. i didn’t use any seasonings because it tasted so good with just the bouillon flavor.

ingredients:

1 cup 13-bean mix
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tb minced garlic
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup bulghur
4 cups water
2 tsp better than bouillon

rinse and soak the beans in a glass jar with plenty of water for about 24 hours. they’ll at least double in size so make sure you have a big enough container, and change the water a few times.

in a large saucepan, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil. add the onion and cook for a couple minutes, then add the garlic, stir it around and cook about 30 seconds. add the celery and carrot and cook until tender.

add the beans, water and bouillon and bring to a boil. simmer, covered, for about half an hour, then add the peas. simmer another half an hour or until the beans are tender. ladle into bowls and sprinkle fresh parsley on top.