Ham and White Northern Bean Soup

In one of my last blog posts, I made a honey baked ham. With just Trevor and I, there was a lot of ham left over. So, I decided to make white northern bean soup. This is my fall back recipe any time I have left over ham.

The trick is that you MUST have a ham with the bone. If you do not have a ham with a bone, it’s not worth making.

This soup is perfect with sour dough toast and a small green salad. It freezes well and is a welcomed leftover in my house. Plus, it’s good for you becasue it's full of fiber and protein.

Soaking Beans

Never make dried beans without soaking them first. Place the beans in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with water and soak overnight. In the morning, rinse beans in a strainer. (You may have notice the beans increase in size. That’s normal.)

Ham and White Northern Bean Soup: Crock Pot

1 Package White Northern Beans (About 6 cups of beans soaked)

4 Cups Cubed Ham

1 Ham Bone

1 White Onion

1 Clove Garlic (small)

3 Carrots

3 Stalks of celery

8 cups water

3 Bay Leaves

Seasoning Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Add beans, ham, and ham bone inside a large crockpot. In a food processor, chop the celery, then carrot and finally the onion. Add all of the chopped ingredients in the crockpot. Add 8-cups of water. Add three bay leaves. Cook on low/meduim for 8-10 hours. Before serving, season with seasoning salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves and ham bone. Allow to cool and serve. Freeze leftovers for another dinner on a busy day.