Pinto Bean/Ham Soup

By KarenLee

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry pinto beans
• 3-4 teaspoons butter
• 2 large chopped onion
• 1-1 ½ teaspoons chopped or minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon (or more) minced fresh thyme
• 3 1/2 pounds ham hock(s)
• 9-10 cups homemade chicken stock (or use 5 cans Swanson's Chicken Broth)
• 1 large bay leaf or a couple of smaller ones
• 6 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• l lb.baby carrots

Preparation

Step 1

Put the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 2-inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour. Drain and reserve.

In a large soup pot, heat the butter (or olive oil) over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.

Add the beans, ham hock(s), chicken stock, and bay leaf to the pot. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and then add the celery. Cook for about 1-½ hours.

Remove the meat from the hocks and cut the meat into small cubes. Return the cubed meat to the soup.

Add the carrots. Cook 10-15 minutes longer until they are tender. Enjoy!

TIP: For a thicker soup, remove some of the beans from the soup and after mashing them with a fork, return them to the pot of soup.

Keep in mind, the soup will thicken after being stored in the refrigerator overnight.