Bean Soup with Stuff

Bean Soup with Stuff

We had a smoked ham for Easter dinner that provided a considerable amount of flavorful leftovers. This is another tasty way to dispose of your ham bone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound dry Great Northern or navy beans
Water enough to cover dry beans by 2″ for overnight soak
1 cup diced white or yellow onion
2 to 3 carrots peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1 tsp Tajin seasoning
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt plus additional if desired (taste and season after cooking)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 meaty ham bone (trimmed of excess fat and rinsed of any glaze)
5 to 6 cups low sodium chicken broth as needed
2 bay leaves
Stuff – small amounts of mashed potatoes, green beens, bok choy, kale, tomatillos. spinach, peppers or corn are all interesting adds but optional.

Instructions:

  1. The evening before you want to cook the soup, rinse beans, remove any debris and place in a large bowl or pot. Cover with water by at least 2″ and soak beans overnight. They will more than double in size so choose your pot accordingly.
  2. The next day, drain and thoroughly rinse the soaked beans and transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  3. Layer the remaining ingredients through the ham bone in the slow cooker in the order listed. Add about 5 cups of chicken broth, or just enough to cover the beans and veggies. Reserve any remaining chicken broth for later. Tuck the bay leaves into the mixture, cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. Stir occasionally during cooking time.
  4. When beans are tender, remove ham bone to a cutting board and remove and discard the bay leaves. If you’d like a creamier texture, transfer about 1/4 of the soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return puréed soup to slow cooker, adding more broth, only if needed, to reach desired consistency.
  5. Meanwhile, pull ham off the bone and chop into small pieces. Return chopped ham to the slow cooker and discard ham bone. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
  6. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve hot with a nice salad and good bread on the side.