Italian-Style Fifteen Bean Soup (Gluten-Free)

Celiac.com 03/16/2019 - It's spring, and that means it's time for leafy greens! Kale is on the menu in this rich, hearty and delicious Italian-style bean soup that's a perfect way to get more fiber into your diet. I use Hurst HamBeens 15 bean soup mix, but you can conceivably make this without it.  Regarding the spice packet, a note in the FAQ section of the Hurst website says: "All of our seasonings are completely gluten-free. All of our dry beans are naturally gluten free as well. We do occasionally package barley in our facility."

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (1/2 bag) Hurst HamBeens 15 Bean Soup (spice packet is gluten-free)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, with juice (14.5 ounce)
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 cups fresh kale, loosely chopped
• Ham hock 
• 2 cups gluten-free macaroni, prepared al dente

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Instructions:
Soak beans overnight in water.

Prepare macaroni al dente, according to instructions. Drain, add a bit of olive oil to the pasta and stir to prevent sticking, and set aside.

In a large stock pot, sauté onions in bacon grease until clear. 

Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

Add spice packet and other spices and stir.

Add chicken stock and water.

Add beans and bay leaf.

Bring pot to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer a few hours, until beans are tender.

Be sure to taste all the bean sizes to be sure they are uniformly cooked through and tender.

Add kale in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.

When beans are all tender, serve over gluten-free macaroni, or over rice.