First, sort and rinse beans. Then, soak beans over night for best results (water should cover the beans by 4 inches). If you are in a time crunch, sort, rinse, and place beans in a pot of water. Bring to a boil, then shut-off heat and let sit for 1 hour. Then proceed.

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat, add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic to the pot. If onions stick, add a little water or veggie broth (no oil or butter needed).

Once onions are translucent, add sweet potato, soaked beans, rice, lentils and 3 cartons of broth. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and lower heat to medium/low.

Cook for 1 - 1 ½ hours, or until beans are soft. While it's cooking, if you think it needs more liquid, add more. You will not hurt anything by lifting up the lid to check.

Once beans are cooked through, add salt and pepper and chopped greens. Adjust the seasonings if need be. If you think it needs more flavor, add 2 tsp. garlic and onion powder.

If you are serving the soup later, you may need to add a cup of water or broth once you decide to reheat it. The lentils make this a very thick soup.