Ham & Bean Soup

By cyosi

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 10 cups water
• 4 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1 cup mashed potatoes (without added milk and butter)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until beans are softened. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.
In the same pan, saute onions in oil for 2 minutes. Add celery; cook until tender. Stir in the beans, water, ham, potatoes, carrot, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaves. Add ham bone. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
Discard bay leaves. Remove ham bone; and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove ham from bone and cut into cubes. Discard bone. Return ham to soup; heat through. Garnish soup with parsley.