Sunday, October 25, 2015

A Rib Sticker - My Recipe Rotation - Ham and Navy Bean Soup


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This soup has become a dinner fall-back on busy winter days. I love the way it looks and tastes and it's nutritious to boot. I found the recipe while looking for inexpensive dishes that could be served for meals during the week we participated in the SNAP challenge. While the recipe is written for the slow cooker, it certainly can be prepared stove-top without changing the nature of the dish. You'll find a bowl of this is, quite simply, wonderful. Here are my original thoughts about the soup.


This soup was a delightful surprise. I can be quite critical when it comes to bean dishes, because, more often than not, I'm disappointed in the way they taste. The financial constraints of SNAP challenge, however, made it necessary for me to experiment with bean recipes and this soup was one of my happier discoveries. I found the recipe in Family Circle magazine. It caught my eye because the soup is made in a slow cooker and uses common ingredients that, in the relative scheme of things, are quite inexpensive. The recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, though I did find the soup was done long before the time suggested in the directions. My batch was ready to serve after 6 hours in the pot. Had I let it simmer longer than that, the beans and vegetables would have completely dissolved and the soup would be more of a bean puree than the soup I was expecting. Despite its truly peasant nature, and having to fiddle with the time, this is a delicious soup that I'll be making often. I really hope you'll give this recipe a try. I think you'll enjoy the soup as much as I have. Here is how it is made.

Slow Cooker Smoky Navy Bean Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
1 pound navy beans, soaked overnight
2 ham shanks (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle or jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach

Directions:
1) Coat slow-cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Drain beans and add to slow cooker bowl. Stir in 6 cups water, ham, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes and thyme. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours.
3) Remove ham shanks from soup and shred meat. Remove 2 cups of soup, puree and return to slow cooker along with shredded ham. Add  vinegar and salt and pepper. Add spinach by the handful and stir until wilted. Yield: 8 servings.

Follow Me on Pinterest                    

                                      Older Posts


                   One Year Ago Today:                                                    Two Years Ago Today:
             Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup                                                   Baked Mustaccoli



              Three Years Ago Today:                                                    Four Years Ago Today: 
             Beef and Bean Chili Verde                                                    Fennel and Potato Soup

3 comments :

Big Dude said...

We make a version of this but I like the sound of yours better. Soup would work well here today on a cool dreary day.

shandireza said...

This post very good read for the public as an additive insight. Thanks for sharing..........

David said...

Mary, One of our favorite comfort foods... Consume with a little fresh baked bread to achieve the most positive feeling of well being! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Printfriendly