Forget About it Soup

By lovemygolden

This soup makes the house smell wonderful as it gently simmers in the oven. It will warm you up on chilly days. Serve with some hot biscuits or French bread.

Ingredients

• 1 large smoked ham hock
• 2 to 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 package baby carrots (leave whole or cut each carrot into 2 or 3 pieces)
• 1/2 mediium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium purple onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves, garlic, minced
• 12 ounces refrigerated salsa (mild)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 large box chicken broth
• 5 to 6 (according to taste) pepperoncini peppers
• 1 cup quick cooking barley
• 1 or 2 large baking potatos, cubed
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen corn
• About half of a package of fresh spinach
• 1 to 2 cans small white beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove meat from rotisserie chicken and shred. Place dark meat in a large oven proof, soup pot with a tight fitting lid. Save the breast meat for another purpose, sandwiches, chicken salad, etc.

Add the chicken broth, ham hock, celery, pepperoncini peppers, onions, salsa, cumin, and garlic. Add a little of the juice from the jar of peppers, for a little extra heat if you like. Cover with lid.

Place covered pot in preheated oven and forget about it for 2 to 2 ½ hours.

Remove from the oven and add the corn, barley, white beans, and potato to the soup mixture, and allow to cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the spinach to the soup during the last 15 minutes. Remove the ham hock and pick the meat off the bone. Return the meat to the soup.