Monday Meals: Ham Bean Soup

Ingredients:

*ham bone (optional; not necessary)

*2 cups ham, cubed (still have leftovers from Easter?)

*3-4 cups pre-soaked beans

*4 cups chicken broth

*1/2 cup diced onion

*1/2 cup diced carrot

*1/2 cup diced celery

*salt, pepper, & herbs to taste (I usually use parsley or thyme)

Directions:

Place ham bone in crock pot (if using one). Add broth, beans, vegetables, and seasonings to crock pot. Set on low for 6 hours. Add cubed ham. Turn heat to high for additional 2 hours or until beans and vegetables are tender. Serve.

*I use a blend of six different dry beans (my blend varies each time, but black, great northern, kidney, navy, pink, and pinto beans are a great place to start. Don't forget dried peas, too). I soak 2/3 cup of each bean type at once. 2/3 cups for six different dry bean types equates to 4 cups of dry beans. 4 cups dry beans will yield 10-12 cups soaked beans (depending on type of bean used). I use 3-4 cups for my soup and store the remainder in gallon sized ziploc bags. 4 cups soaked beans (rinsed and drained) per 1 bag. Add a teaspoon of oil, shake until well coated, remove excess air, and store in freezer until ready to use.
**Storage space saver = when removing air from ziploc bag, lay bag on flat surface. Store on bottom of freezer shelf, so beans are flat and take up less space.