White Bean Soup with Ham
Serves 4
Bone-in ham is the ultimate starter for slow-cooked bean soup. Allow it to simmer away and permeate your home with a wonderful aroma!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cannellini or other white beans (picked through, rinsed, and drained)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (1/4-inch diced)
- 2 large carrots (1/4-inch diced)
- 1 stalk celery (1/4-inch diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 ham bone (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Optional Ingredients
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
- Place beans in large, heavy soup pot. Cover with 2 inches water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 1 hour. Drain beans and set aside. Dry pot.
- Return pot to stove on medium heat. Add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrots, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until veggies are soft, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic. Add ham bone, beans, bay leaves, and enough water to cover beans by 1 inch. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently 45 minutes to 1 hour, until beans are very tender. Add additional water, as needed.
- To serve, reheat soup, as needed. Add reserved chopped ham. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Cook Tips
To save time, use 3 cans drained beans.
If you don't have a ham bone, add cubes of sautéed ham or chopped, browned Italian sausages just before serving.
For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of water in the soup and add a parmesan cheese rind instead of ham bone. Remove rind before blending soup and serving.
Nutrition
Amount Per Serving (based on 4 servings)- Calories: 500
- Fat: 12.0 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.0 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 320.0 mg
- Carbohydrates: 74.0 g
- Fiber: 40.0 g
- Added Sugars: 0.0 g
- Sugar: 5.0 g
- Protein: 25.0 g