NAVY BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

• 1 pound white beans
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/ 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon optional Cajun seasoning
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• ham bone, ham tenderloin, or ham hock
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for testing
• Garnish of chopped fresh thyme

Instructions

Place the beans in a colander in the sink. Rinse the beans in cold water, sort them and discard any leftovers. Place the beans in a large pot of cold water so that there is at least 2 inches of cold water above the beans. Let them soak overnight or at least 8 hours, then rinse and drain again.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.Add onions, celery and carrots and cook until onions and celery are soft.
Reduce heat to low and add garlic, smoked paprika, dried marjoram, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add chicken broth, bay leaves, ham bones and white beans. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 1-1 1/2 hours.Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove the ham bone from the soup, cut it into small pieces, discard the ham bone and add the sliced ​​ham to the soup.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with freshly chopped thyme.

Notes

To make this easier and quicker, use two (16 ounce) cans of white beans, rinsed and drained.This shortens the cooking time to less than 30 minutes.
White beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans or navy beans can be substituted for white beans.
Don’t forget to fish out and discard the bay leaves before serving as they have sharp edges.
Shanks, ham legs, ham fillets and ham bones work well for this recipe. Ham steaks are pre-packaged and sold along with the other smaller cuts of ham at your local supermarket.I have always enjoyed using the Frick brand in many of my recipes, including Ham Steak with Honey Mustard Glaze.
If you like this soup a little creamier, use a hand blender or stand mixer to puree a few cups of the mixture after removing the ham bone but before adding the sliced ​​ham pieces.

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