Rich & Hearty Bean Soup with Ground Venison Made Easy
A large pot of this rich and hearty bean soup with ground venison is the kind of meal that warms you from the inside out. Made easy with simple ingredients like beans, bacon, and venison, it’s a practical comfort food recipe that delivers big flavor without extra fuss.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
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Crowd-Pleasing Recipe
I first tried this recipe at a church potluck and admittedly, I was skeptical. Not a huge fan of beans, the overwhelming number of beans in this recipe almost made me pass. I especially dislike lima beans, making it even worse! However, this hearty soup was a hit with the crowd. I decided to try just a small bite and was pleasantly surprised. My friend and mentor Lennie Johnson was kind enough to share this recipe that is now become a family favorite.
Why it works?
This bean soup recipe has a good balance of flavors. The variety of beans means that no single bean takes center stage. This allows the dreaded lima beans to go unnoticed in the mix. The ground meat and bacon help to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar. The vinegar gives it a little zip. While there is no added chicken broth in this recipe, the juices from the canned beans make a delicious vegetable broth.
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
Sauce Ingredients
Beans: The Rock Star of this Recipe
Homestead Hack
Out of brown sugar? No problem. Add regular sugar to the recipe and increase molasses by 2 tablespoons. No need to mix up in advance!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step One: Add half a pound of bacon to a large oven safe dutch oven. Begin cooking it over medium-high heat on the stove top.
- Step Two: When the fat in the bacon begins to render (you see oil in the bottom of the dutch oven), add 1 pound of ground venison and the chopped onion. Brown the mixture on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step Three: When the meat is brown, add the sauce ingredients. Half a teaspoon of mustard, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup molasses. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Step Four: Add the beans and their juices to the soup mixture. One can each of pork and beans, kidney beans, lima beans, butter beans, and garbanzo beans. Stir to combine.
- Step Five: Carefully place the covered dutch oven in a preheated oven and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
Brown the meat.- Add the sauce ingredients and simmer.
- Add beans and bake.
Get the printable recipe below!
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Don’t Have Time to Cook?
It you work all day and would prefer to come home to a fully cooked meal, prepare this recipe in advance and cook it on low in the slow cooker. When slow cooking you can use a roasted ham hock rather than bacon for a more budget-friendly meal.
Bean Substitutions
The beans in this recipe are easy to find. I especially like the variation of colors, different size and shapes of beans that give this soup a nice texture. However if you are trying to cook using just the ingredients you have in your pantry feel free to substitute. Try navy beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans to recommend a few.
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Serving and Storage
I like to serve this soup with crusty bread. Personally, I love dipping my bread in the soup! A fresh garden salad with a variety of vegetables round out the meal. Or add carrots or celery sticks on the side for added nutrition.
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove by heating for a couple of minutes on medium heat. Make sure the beans heat through.
Bean soup can be frozen in serving-size batches. Making leftover lunches or quick meals easy.
Perfect Winter Time Soup
This time of year I like to serve meals that are not only filling but are warming too! Lennie’s Bean Soup is one of my favorite winter time recipes.
For even more delicious recipes, you may like these:
FAQ
Crusty french bread is the perfect side! However any type of roll or cornbread is perfect.
While I like this with bread, the meal is rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. It’s perfect served alone.
YES! The best thing about a recipe like this is that you can substitute the beans you don’t care for or leave them out!
Lennie’s Bean Soup
Equipment
- Large dutch oven 4 quart (minimum)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison (or any ground meat)
- ½ pound bacon chopped
- 2 onions chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ tsp mustard
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
Beans
- 15 ounces pork and beans
- 16 ounces butter beans
- 15 ounces lima beans
- 15.5 ounces kidney beans I prefer dark red
- 15.5 ounces garbanzo beans
Instructions
- Add half a pound of chopped bacon to a large oven safe dutch oven. Begin cooking it over medium-high heat on the stove top.
- When the fat in the bacon begins to render (you see oil in the bottom of the dutch oven), add 1 pound of ground venison and chopped onion. Brown the mixture on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the meat is brown, add the sauce ingredients. Half a teaspoon of mustard, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup molasses. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the beans and their juices to the soup mixture. One can each of pork and beans, kidney beans, lima beans, butter beans, and garbanzo beans. Stir to combine.
- Carefully place the covered dutch oven in a preheated oven and bake for 1 hour at 350℉.
Nutrition
About the Author: Barbra-Sue Kowalski grew up on a small hobby farm. She was always drawn to farm life, however, she was stuck in an urban life far from her roots. Barbra-Sue was a single mom for 13 years, raising her 3 children on her own. She met Philip in 2018 and they married in 2021. Between the two of them, they have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren. These empty nesters are following their dreams! As they both turn 50, they are building their off-grid homestead to live the life that they dream about. Learn more about Philip and Barbra-Sue here. Contact them here. To leave a comment on this post, please scroll down.
Would this recipe cook just as well on the crock pot or does baking it give it a special touch?
Nope, you can cook it in a crock pot! Be sure to come back and share your experience!
Not sure about bean soup? I have to say I was skeptical but this is one of my favorite winter soups! It’s got a sweet flavor and really fills you up!