Smoked Ham, Barley, and Vegetable Soup

By tschnet1

Ingredients

• 10 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 3 pounds smoked ham hocks
• 3/4 pound russet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled, diced
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring broth and ham hocks to boil in large pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. Add diced potatoes, tomatoes with juices, onion, carrots, celery, barley, and oregano. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until meat and barley are tender, about 1 hour.

Using tongs, remove ham hocks from soup. Cut meat off bones and chop coarsely. Return meat to soup; discard bones. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add green beans; simmer until beans are tender, about 15 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.