Bean & Pasta soup mix

I've been seriously considering the whole Once a Month Cooking idea. I did this on a short term while I was pg for my last two kids, and it was SO nice. Dinner was easy, quick and not much fuss. Sooo I've been looking for recipes to make up ahead and store in the freezer. I have a list of 13 whole or partial meals to make up. I went shopping and got most of the stuff. Here is the first one I made. It smelled really good, even tho it wasn't even cooked lol.



Here is where I found the recipe (and several others I'm going to use too)

Of course, you know me, i changed it a little. First off, it's not in a jar. Jar's take up more space and i'm not giving them as gifts, sooo I just used a quart size freezer bag, used a small Ziploc for the seasoning and placed it inside the bag with beans. I also left out the pasta. It only amounts to less than 1/2 cup in each bag, so I will just add it when we make it. I buy my noodles in large bags, so it won't matter if I only need a little amount. The other thing I changed is the bouillon cubes. Abigail can't have them and they have way to much salt in them anyhow, sooo I just left that out and will use broth instead of water. I than printed the instructions on a 3x5 card and put it inside, zipped up the bag, folded the flap over and used tape to keep it from coming undone. I than put all 6 bags in a gallon size bag and put it in the freezer. Space is limited so my chest freezer gets LOTS of use. lol

Here is what my index card says:

Bean and Pasta Soup mix

Sort and wash beans.
Combine the following in crock pot or Lg casserole pan
Beans
seasoning packet
3 quarts of beef broth
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup of cooked meat (ham, bacon, sausage)
1 (14 ½ oz can) can diced tomatoes.

Cover and cook till beans are soft
add ½ c. uncooked noodles. Cook till done.
Makes 9 cups.