Ham & White Bean Soup
The combination of ham with beans comes together perfectly in this hearty soup. Round it out with a loaf of French bread for a complete meal. This soup makes a lot, so it’s a good choice when feeding a crowd. Or, package it in small containers for lunch.
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Ingredients
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- 2 1/2 cups white beans, canneilini or great northern
- 2 quarts water
- 2–3 lb Schwabs smoked ham hocks or shanks
- 2 teaspoons Herbs De Provence or Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2/3 cup chopped carrots
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Daddy Hinkles Onion And Garlic Seasoning
- Salt And Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
- Fill a pot large enough to hold the beans with water, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the beans and soak the beans for about 2 hours. Drain the water.
- Make the ham broth while the beans are soaking in step 1. Put the ham shanks or ham hocks in a separate large pot and cover them with 2 quarts of water. Add the herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning. Heat on high heat until the water comes to a simmer, then lower the heat, partially cover and maintain the simmer for about an hour.
- Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions, and cook until translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more.
- Once the ham hocks or shanks have been simmering for an hour, add the drained soaked beans from step 1, the onions, garlic and the chopped celery and carrots. Cook for another 40 minutes or so, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft and the ham meat easily pulls away from the bone. Remove the ham bones from the soup and pull off any meat and return it to the soup. Discard the bones.
- Add several drops of Tabasco to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a pinch of chopped fresh parsley.