Ham and White Bean Soup

One of the very greatest things about having a ham for dinner is knowing you can make this soup the next day–just make sure you SAVE the ham bone!! Our dad has been making us this hearty soup for decades and the smell of the broth simmering on the stove instantly transports me home.

As easy as this soup is, you do need to think ahead because the stock needs to simmer for 6-8 hours for the best results. The longer you can let it simmer, the more flavorful your broth will be!!

The ham bone is key to this recipe and it will not be the same without it. When you’re in the kitchen cleaning up after your ham dinner, cut the majority of whatever meat is left OFF the bone and SAVE it for your soup. Do not remove it all!!! *It’s important to leave some ham on the bone to flavor your stock, but remove most of meat from the bone, cut it up, and set it aside in the fridge. This will prevent all the meat in your soup from drying out too much as it simmers all day.

HAM AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Stock Ingredients:

• A leftover ham bone with most (but not all) of the remaining meat removed (*see note above)
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into four
• 2 carrots, cut into big pieces
• 3-4 celery sticks, cut into big pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup – 1 cup white wine
• enough chicken stock to cover half the ham bone
• enough water (added after the chicken stock) to fully cover the ham bone

Soup Ingredients:

• 4 cups cubed ham, saved from the ham bone prior to making the stock (or as much as you have left over)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 celery sticks, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced (you want roughly equal amounts of onion/carrots/celery)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 – 3/4 c white wine
• homemade stock
• 3-4 cans white navy beans, rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste (this amount will vary based on the amount of time you were able to simmer the stock! Don’t be afraid to taste and adjust)

Stock Directions:

1. Prior to making stock, remove the majority of ham off the bone and set aside in the fridge.
2. 6-8 hours before assembling soup, make the stock by first adding the trimmed ham bone to a large pot.
3. Add enough chicken stock to the pot to cover up half of the ham bone and then add water until the rest of the bone is covered.
4. Add white wine, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, and garlic and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer covered for 5-7 hours and then remove the lid for the last hour of cooking time.
6. An hour before you wish to eat, remove the ham bone from the stock and place a large strainer over a bowl or additional pot. Strain out all the solids from the broth and set aside the strained broth. Discard the vegetables and ham bone (you may save the ham from the bone and add it to your soup if you need the additional meat, but usually I don’t need it and it’s noticeably drier than the rest of the ham).
7. Set aside while preparing the rest of the soup.

Soup Directions:

1. In a clean pot, melt 2 T of butter over medium heat.
2. Once melted, add diced onion, celery, and carrots and sautè until onions are translucent (3-4 minutes). Add garlic and sautè one minute more.
3. Add white wine and deglaze the pot for 1-2 minutes while stirring occasionally
4. Using a fat separator, add the strained homemade stock to the pot along with the rinsed beans and saved (chopped) ham.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 30-45 minutes to help develop the flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve alongside some warm homemade bread.
7. Enjoy!