Green Bean Soup

Cooking Discussions Recipes
1

‎CALIFORNIA: Jeff Redler‎

This is an old family recipe from my grandmother’s side of the family that they brought with when coming to America. Enjoy!

Gruene Bohneneintopf (made with ham)
(German Green Bean Soup)

3 pounds of ham pieces
6-7 russet potatoes peeled & cut into 1” pieces
2 pounds fresh green beans cut into 1” pieces
2.5 quarts chicken broth
1 quart half & half
5 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste

  • Simmer ham pieces in the chicken broth for a minimum of 3.5 hours.
  • Add cut green beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Add cut potatoes and simmer for 30 more minutes.
  • Stir in quart of half & half and bring back up to a simmer.
    Makes roughly 12 bowls
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3 pounds of ham pieces vs. 2 pounds of green beans sounds more like a ham soup to me TBH :joy:

I’m also confused by the use of half n half, a product that doesn’t exist in Germany (and certainly didn’t at the time your grandmother immigrated).

Sounds tasty tho? Have you made it?

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I have not.
This is a Mennonite recipe.
The half and half was interesting and the reason I posted it.
Next time I buy a ham I’ll make it.
:slight_smile:

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This is very similar to a soup my Mennonite grandmother made often. Her version had lots of summer savory instead of the bay leaf. She stirred in sour cream at the end instead of half and half, which provides a nice tang. Green bean soup was very common in their small ( Nebraska) Mennonite community and was often served at church suppers, family gatherings etc.

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