Ham & Bean Soup
You know you can take the kid out of the North, but you can’t take the North out of the kid. On a chiller than what South Texas is used to solo weekend recently, I made some ham and bean soup. It was simple. It was hearty. And it was comfort food for me.
On this particular day I did not have any of the ingredients that I needed. I guess in many cases the ingredients of this simple soup could be considered pantry items or items you have frequently. But just after the holiday and fridge purge to clean up and start the new year, I found it hard to believe I didn’t even have onions - one of my most favorite and to me versatile vegetables. Off to the store I went.
Make it stand out
In addition to onions, of which I purchased plenty because I use onions in probably 80% of the dinner recipes I make, I needed the recipe list below:
Ham Steak - I suppose right after a holiday some might have leftovers of the holiday ham. If you do, this is a great way to use them!
Low Sodium Chicken Stock - I try to make my own chicken stock much of the time. Living in the house, this because a staple for me. When I moved to RV Life, with limited freezer storage, I find myself purchasing chicken stock more often.
Great Northern Beans - For a few minutes I thought I was going to have to substitute these out. For some reason I had the hardest time finding Northern Beans in the Walmart I ran in to to get some of these ingredients.
And the aforementioned, onions.
This recipe is super simple!
Process:
Sauté the onions to your desired color and softness. I knew these would be sitting in soup for a while simmering. I opted to season them with some Veggie Sprinkles from Fiesta Spices out of San Antonio, Texas. I can still find these in the Rio Grande Valley, which is a bonus. These sprinkles go on most sautéed or roasted vegetables that I cook. If you can’t find these, use your favorite veggie sprinkle instead.
Dice the ham.
Drain the Great Northern Beans.
Once the onions are sautéed add everything to the pot. I added chicken stock and brought everything to a boil before I then lowered the heat and let it simmer.
Salt and pepper to taste.
If you find yourself with some leftovers or simply have these items on hand and are in need of a low maintenance comfort soup, this is might be a good option to try!
Enjoy, and if you are a soup fanatic, leave a comment and let me know what your favorite soup is.
