To Take off the Chill: Sweet and Spicy Cowboy Bacon and Bean Soup

Last Saturday, with the snow and sleet, was a perfect day for staying at home and cooking up a big pot of soup. I was craving a bean soup, but with hints of barbecue and baked beans. After searching the Internet for a recipe, I decided that nothing suited my fancy, so I decided to wing it! I wanted the flavors to be a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy and the texture to be between a chili and a stew. I also decided on making it as meaty and beany as possible, so I grabbed a bag of 15 beans, a package of Country Style sausage, bacon, and a nice thick slick of smoked ham. We were going to do this Cowboy Style!

I did this in my Instant Pot, but the recipe can be easily made in a regular crockpot or on the stove pot. Times will need to vary if you use either of these methods

Sweet and Spicy Cowboy Bacon and Bean Soup

Ingredients

Hurst’s 15 Bean Package

1 lb. Country Style Sausage (or regular ground pork)

8 ou. Bacon

1 Ham Steak, cubed

1 Onion, chopped

3 lg Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Red Pepper, chopped

1 15 oz. can Tomato Sauce

45 oz. Beef Broth

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 TB Chili Powder

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

3 TB Brown Sugar

1. Cook sausage and bacon in oven or instant pot. Slice into small pieces.

2. Saute onion, garlic, and red pepper in instant pot until soft.

3. Rinse beans and add beans and meats to pot (sausage, bacon and ham).

4. Add remaining ingredients to pot: tomato sauce, beef broth, and seasonings.

5. Cook on crockpot setting on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours. If you get impatient like my husband and I did, cook on high pressure for 60 minutes with 10 minute natural release.

Notes:

• Some recipes say to add tomatoes to the beans after cooking them because acidic ingredients can make it harder for the beans to soften. I did not have that problem, but you could always add them afterward if

It ended up being exactly what I was hungry for! Enjoy!