Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup

Two 1 pound bags of kidney beans
1 medium onion
ten slices of bacon
2 cups frozen green beans
4 cups sliced frozen carrots
Three tablespoons minced garlic from a jar, or an equivalent of fresh minced garlic
5 teaspoons of powdered chicken bullion, or 5 bullion cubes
2 teaspoons McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory all purpose salt-free seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
10 cups water
One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (save this for after beans are cooked)

Heat water in kettle before adding to the slow cooker, there's no reason to waste the first hour of cooking time just trying to get things warmed up.
Do not add canned tomatoes until beans are fully cooked.
Although the prep time is listed as 800 minutes, the prep is actually quite simple, cover beans with water and soak, also some minimal chopping of vegetables, I'd say the actual "hands on" prep time is under 30 minutes.

Sort and wash beans, cover with water, soak for 12 to 24 hours, changing water at least once during soaking.

Drain and rinse beans.
chop onion
cut raw bacon into 1 inch pieces
Heat the 10 cups of water in a kettle or pot
Put everything except for the canned tomatoes into a 6 quart crock pot (slow cooker)
Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or on medium for 10-12 hours
Add canned tomatoes when cooking is finished (its very important not to add tomatoes before beans are thoroughly cooked, the acids will prevent the beans from cooking fully).

Serving Size: Makes Sixteen 1 1/2 cup servings

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user THRICEBLESSED.