Ham and Bean Soup

By Susan52

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 6 cups ham broth or chicken broth or chicken stock
• 1 pound dried white beans such as navy, great northern, cannellini, picked over and soaked over night in water
• 1 ham bone (or 2 ham hocks)
• salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
• 2 cups cooked ham, diced (omit if you are using ham hocks)

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the broth, white beans and ham bone, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, about 1-2 hours.

Remove the bone or ham hocks and if you are using the ham hocks, strip the meat from them and dice or shred it.

Optionally puree some or all of the soup with a blender, add the ham and simmer for 30 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.