About the Recipe
Classic Ham and Bean Soup can be made with a leftover ham bone or a purchased ham hock and cubed smoked ham. It's the perfect ham and bean soup recipe for your leftover holiday ham or when you just have a taste for a delicious, comforting soup! All meat items are available at House of Meats.
Recipe from Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Ingredients
House of Meats Smoked Ham Hock, Smoked Ham Shank, Half Smoked Picnic Ham, Ham Slice or leftover ham bone. If it says, "HAM" it will work! The more meat the better!
You should have a minimum of 1 Ham Bone and 8 ozs. of Fully Cooked Lean Ham, diced.
Dried white beans, such as Navy or Great Northern, rinsed and soaked overnight, then drained
1 Medium Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Low Sodium, fat free chicken stock ( 4 cups - 32 ozs.)
6 cups Water
1 (14.5 ounce) can of Diced Tomatoes, undrained (no added salt if you can find them).
1 cup Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup Celery, sliced
1 tsp Dried Thyme
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 dashes Liquid Smoke, optional
½ Lemon, juiced
A small amount of an acidic ingredient like lemon juice added at the end of cooking brightens flavors, especially in long-simmered bean soups or rich meat-based soups. Start with a little bit of acid, taste and adjust, until your soup tastes balanced and bright.
Note: All of the products will direct to House of Meats - Maumee location. Please make sure to change the location to your home House of Meats store!
Preparation
Step 1
In a 6 quart dutch oven or similiar sized stock pot, spray the pot with cooking spray.
On medium heat, cook the onions until softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for a minute or so longer. Next, add the white beans, chicken stock, bay leaves, and ham. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover loosely and simmer for about 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Remove ham hock and discard, skim off any visible fat from the top.
Tip: If you have a smoked ham slice with the bone-in, cut around the bone and drop that into the soup with the ham hock. Then, remove when beans are done.
Step 2
Add in canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, diced ham and thyme. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender (about another 30 minutes to an hour).
Step 3
Remove bay leaves and discard. Add in brown sugar, liquid smoke and lemon juice. After testing broth, season with salt and pepper to taste. You may not need any seasonings at all.)
Step 4
Optional:
Take a potato masher to mash up the beans and veggies on the bottom and stir for a thicker soup!
Step 5
Serve with Bob & Emma Jean's Kentucky Cornbread and Butter. Look for their recipe on House of Meats recipe site.