White Bean ‘n’ Ham Soup
So…what do you do when you have Ham leftover from the Holidays. You make something with Ham almost every day. Since winter has finally hit in Bermuda (Currently 60°….Brrrrrr) I decided to make White Bean ‘n’ Ham Soup. I always thought this was an easy make….but for some reason I tried before and the broth was very brothy and not think like my Mother would make (thick!). Ahhh….like my Mother would make. She was my Google back in the day when I was learning to cook! 🙁
So…I figured it out and make a large double batch in my favorite dutch oven. (On a side note, my dutch oven was purchased in London, traveled to Italy…before settling down in Bermuda, but that’s another story for another time.)
Now, you can always make it the old fashion way (like my Mother would) but…I did not have 5-6 hours…so had to make the quick version.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 medium carrots, diced
- 2 small onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 4-1/2 cups water (I actually used chicken broth….and only 1 container which = 4 cups)
- 2-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
- 1 teaspoon salt (depending on the ham, you can do with less salt)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (don’t be embarrassed if you only have black….go ahead and use it.)
- 1 bay leaf
DIRECTIONS
- Mash two (2) cans of beans; set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the carrots and onion in butter. Stir in the water (or in my case the chicken broth), ham, seasonings and whole and mashed beans; cook over medium heat until heated through. I just let it simmer for a 1/2 hour while sitting on the couch by the fire watching Season 2 of The Crown!
- Discard bay leaf before serving. Yield: 8+ servings.
