Submitted by Karen Spafard

About the cook: I am a 52 year old divorced mother of two grown children. I work as a part-time chaplain in a long term care facility, and I am presently in the process of becoming fully board certified as a chaplain. Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, and I enjoy creating interesting and appetizing recipes for family and friends.

About the dish: This is a super easy and hearty soup recipe that captures the flavor of good old fashioned pork and beans, with a contemporary curried twist. It's great for a quick and easy supper, as it can be made in less than a half hour.

National Origin: American

Serves: 4

Estimated Time: Under 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

One 15 oz can of baked beans (preferably not a variety that is too sweet)
Two boneless pork chops, pan fried and chopped into bite size pieces
1 quart of beef stock
1 cup of vegetable juice or tomato juice
2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Optional: Sauerkraut to finish

Preparation:

Pan fry pork chops until cooked through. Chop into small pieces using the mini food processor attachment of your immersion blender, or by hand. Remove 1/2 the beans from the can, leaving the juice and half the beans in the can. Coarsely mash the beans and the juice by inserting immersion blender into the can, or place in bowl and mash with potato masher. Add pork, mashed beans, and whole beans to 2 quart pan. Add carton of beef stock, curry powder, tomato or vegetable juice, garlic powder, pepper. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes to let flavors blend. Ladle into serving bowls. Top with a spoonful of sauerkraut if desired.

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