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Bean Soup in a Jar Mix

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix

This Bean Soup in a Jar Mix is a pantry staple that I always make sure to have on hand. And while it was originally intended for making delicious homemade bean soup. It can also be used to make baked beans, chili or a number of other dishes that call for beans.

If you’re wanting a quick easy food gift for friends, neighbors and extended family but don’t want or can’t afford to spend a lot of money, this mix is a great choice.

It’s also an awesome teacher gift!

Teachers receive so many gifts at various times of the year and while I’m sure the gifts are all heart-felt, I often wonder where they store all the things they’ve been given over the years. When our kids were in school, I always tried to give gifts that were consumable and wouldn’t sit unused on a shelf somewhere or hidden away in a cupboard.

That won’t be a problem when you give them this Bean Soup in a Jar Mix!

The ingredients may already be in your pantry and if not, can be picked up on your next trip to the grocery or bulk food store.

When I’m making up this mix for our own use and to give as gifts, I purchase large quantities of each bean in the mix.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Bags of bulk beans

Here’s my recipe for:

Dried Bean Soup Mix

 

You’ll need equal measures of each of the following:

  • Pinto Beans
  • Dark Red Kidney Beans
  • Small Lima Beans
  • Great Northern Beans
  • Black Beans
  • Garbanzo Beans

In the photo below each bowl has one cup each of dried beans.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix -6 bowls of 6 different dried beans

Dump all the beans into a big bowl and mix thoroughly.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Large bowl with dried bean soup mix

Measure into jars.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Transferring the dried bean soup mix to large jar

A double batch or 2 cups of each of the dried beans yields 3 quart jars plus fills an upcycled 1/2 gallon jar 3/4 full.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Large Jar plus three mason jars of dried bean soup mix

The 1/2 gallon jar is for our own person use.

As I mentioned, I like to have it and other dried ingredients on hand for making soups, stews and chilis.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Jars of dried lentils and bean soup mix

Now… let’s pretty up the other jars ready for gift giving!

For the three mason quart jars, I took scraps of Christmas fabric, traced around a small plate on the wrong side of the fabric and then cut out the circle using a pinking shears.

The fabric circle is placed between the lid and the metal ring before screwing it on to the jar.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Three jars of fabric topped dried bean soup mix

I made up more of the dried bean mix to fill two more jars that I had picked up at the thrift store (sterilized before use.)

For these gifts, I simply tied some holiday ribbon around the top of the jars.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - 2 Jars of Dried Bean Soup Mix tied with ribbon

And then for this one, instead of ribbon, I used several lengths of raffia wrapped around the top, added a recipe card then tied the raffia in a bow.

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix - Jar of Dried Bean Soup with rafia and recipe card

The bean soup in a jar mix could be the whole gift.

Or you could create the gift of a meal in a basket by putting the jar (or small bag of beans) in a basket along with an already baked loaf of Herbed Beer Bread, a bag of Herbed Beer Bread dry ingredients and a can of beer.

A nice finishing touch is to add recipe cards for everything.

Herbed Beer Bread - Gift basket idea number two, loaf of beer bread, can of beer, dry mix, bean soup mix and don't forget to include the recipe cards

If you don’t already have a favorite Bean Soup recipe to write up a recipe card, you could give them my Delicious Stick to Your Ribs Homemade Bean Soup recipe that I linked to at the top of the post.

 

 

 

 

Save this recipe along with the different gift giving ideas for future reference by clicking on the Pinterest button underneath this post.

And of course, I’d love it if you shared it on Twitter or Facebook as well. 🙂

Bean Soup in a Jar Mix in a large bowl and large jar

 

Note: This post was originally published on Super Mom – No Cape in November 2008. It has been completely updated with all new photos and text.

I would be so pleased if you chose to share by clicking on one of the buttons below!

6 Comments

  • Angie
    February 25, 2019 3:55 pm

    I’m confused, where is the recipe? I have looked over this article 3 times and only see a recipe for the beer bread??

    • Super Mom No Cape
      February 25, 2019 7:24 pm

      Hello Angie,

      The recipe is between the first photo of the beans in the bags and the photo of the different beans in bowls. Look for the bullet pointed list. 🙂

  • MaryAnne
    December 23, 2017 12:12 pm

    Past the days of teacher gifts here, but there are always little gifts that we need to make up and this would be a perfect idea for those. Thanks!

  • Rachel Wright
    December 22, 2017 8:15 am

    Teacher gifts weren’t a thing when I was at school, but as it has become more common, I must admit that I, too, have wondered what on earth they are expected to do with them! Consumable gifts seem an altogether better idea!

  • Lourdes Fay
    April 18, 2013 9:29 pm

    This is a GREAT idea!!! Thanks for sharing. I can’t read what you printed to put on the jars… Can you share the recipe?

  • Kate
    November 22, 2008 2:41 am

    I love this idea. The jars look so pretty. I think I’ll make a few of these to put in the “Lazy Sunday In A Box” homemade gifts I like to make every year. Thanks!

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