My grandmother made wonderful ham and bean soup. She made countless gallons in her life for church fundraisers and family dinners. My version is a little different (why not throw in some cauliflower!) but still holds true to the original recipe. It’s one of my favorite things to do with leftover Easter ham, I hope you enjoy my version.
I always save my ham bone ham in the freezer, as well as any leftover ham. Christmas and Easter I purchase the largest ham I can afford, we eat as much as we can but I look forward to having those packets of goodness in the freezer, it makes me happy. Make sure to leave some meat and fat on the bone for flavor and freeze in a large freezer bag after squeezing out as much air as you can.
Recipe:
- 3 15.5 oz cans of Great Northern Beans, undrained
- 2 32 oz boxes of Low Sodium Chicken stock
- 3 russet potatoes, diced
- 2 lg carrots, sliced
- ½ an onion, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped celery, i used the leaves as well
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower, I had fresh
- 2-3 cups chopped ham, I had a qt bag in the freezer
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Optional : 2 chicken or ham bouillon cubes if needed
Start with a large stock pot, add 1 qt of chicken stock and 2-3 cups of water to just about cover the ham bone. Heat till boiling then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, turning the ham bone a couple times. Add your potatoes and carrots and simmer for another 5 minutes before adding the cauliflower, beans, celery and onion and your chopped ham. Add seasonings. Simmer for another 5 minutes and taste the broth, add more seasoning if needed as well the bouillon if necessary.
Enjoy with some nice crusty bread or saltines like gram did!