1/4 c Baby limas

1/4 c Small whites

1/4 c Blackeyes

1/4 c Garbanzos

1/4 c Pinks

1/4 c Light red kidney beans

1 t Salt

1 c Chopped onion

1 c Shopped celery

1 Clove garlic, crushed and

-minced 2 tb Butter/margarine

2 Envelopes (2 oz each)

-chicken noodle soup mix 1 c Chopped carrot

1/2 c Chopped green pepper

1/2 c Minced parsley

1/2 Bay leaf, crumbled

1/2 ts Fines herbes

1 c Fresh or canned tomatoes,

-chopped

Grated Parmesan cheese Sort, rinse and soak beans by preferred method (described below). To maintain color integrity, soak white and colored beans separately. Drain. Cook onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, parsley and garlic in butter until soft. Combine cooked vegetables with soup mix, 2 quarts water, bay leaf, fines herbes and soaked beans. Simmer, covered, about 1 hour to desired tenderness. Add tomatoes. Serve hot, sprinkled with cheese. Makes 1 gallon or about 16 1-cup servings. Posted by Shelley Rodgers. Courtesy of Fred Peters.