Bean Soup

My dad has convinced me that the best way to cure the common cold is with an extraordinary bowl of soup. While I have exhausted our medicine cabinet this past week, in the back of my mind, I knew I just needed to make time for some soup to kick the the cold that I have. Finally, I spent my Friday night making a delicious bean soup. I have ordered bean soup while dining out but I've never made it myself. It is usually made with ham, but I tried using smoked beef (Ryan's request). It was so fun to be in the kitchen adding a little of "this and that" and tasting to determine what was going to work well in my soup. A couple of hours later, I had savory soup made up of fifteen different beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and a touch magic healing power.
1 lb bag of dried beans*
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 large carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced 
1 large onion, diced
8 1/2 c. water
4 oz can chicken broth
1/4 c. ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. savory leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. white pepper
salt/pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 lb. smoked beef sausage, cubed
The night before making the soup (at least 8 hours), place the dried beans in a large bowl and generously cover in water. After they have been hydrated, drain water and rinse. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add onion, water, chicken broth, ketchup, savory, bouillon, salt, pepper, chili powder and paprika. Simmer over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. Add cubed smoked sausage and vinegar and simmer 30 minutes more. Soup will thicken as it simmers and you may have to add additional liquid (water or broth) to reach the consistency you like.
*I used a "15 bean soup" bag but I threw out the seasoning packet that was included and made my own.
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