White Bean and Ham Soup

By learen

Ingredients

• 2 meaty smoked hamhocks about 1.5 lbs
• 1 lb dried white beans
• 2 qt low sodium chicken broth
• 4 ribs celery chopped
• 8 oz carrots cut crosswise into rounds
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 12 sprigs thyme
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Step 1

In a large slow cooker, combine the ham hocks, beans, broth, celery, carrots, onion garlic and thyme. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, about 5 hours.

Discard the thyme stems. Using tongs, remove the ham hocks and shred the meaty parts; discard the skin, fat and bones. Using the back of a spoon, mash the garlic halves against the side of the slow cooker to squeeze the soft cloves out and stir into the soup. discard the skins. Return the shredded meat back to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with bread if desired.