Ham & Bean Soup

My hubby loves ham & bean soup.  I basically make it like my Mom always did.  Since we had a ham for Thanksgiving, I was presented with the ham bone, since everyone knows that I like to make soup.  It 's a good hearty soup for the Winter months.   It's especially good with a slice of corn bread.  Here's how you make the soup:

2 lbs. Great Northern beans
1 onion, chopped
a couple of stalks of celery, cleaned & cut into large pieces
1 meaty ham bone
salt & pepper
about 2 T. dried parsley

Pick through the beans to remove any small stones & rinse the beans well.  Cover with about 8 cups of water in a large stockpot or dutch oven.   Bring to a boil & boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat & cover the pot with a lid.  Let sit for 1 hour.

Drain the water from the beans.  Add fresh water to cover the beans by several inches.  Add the onion, celery & ham bone.  Bring to a boil & then cover & reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer the ham & beans for 5-6 hours.  Remove the ham bone from the pot to cool for a bit & then chop the ham.  Remove the large pieces of celery.

Meanwhile, smash some of the beans with the back of a spoon  to make the soup thick & creamy.  Add more water, if necessary, depending on how thick or thin you like your soup.  Add the chopped ham back to the pot.  Add freshly ground pepper , taste for salt & add if needed.  Add the dried parsley & heat through.

This makes a lot of soup!!  You may want to cut the recipe in half.

I am sharing with:
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday