Easy Ham and Bean Soup

I am someone who never wastes anything. We had a spiral ham for Christmas. I didn't glaze it since I knew that I would want to make a ham and bean soup and glaze would affect the taste. This soup is so simple, so delicious and if you have a ham bone, very inexpensive. If you don't have a bone, a ham hock will work just as well. I use ham hocks when I feel like having ham and bean soup but don't want to cook a large ham. They usually sell in packs of two and you can freeze one for a later soup. 

• 1 Bag of dry beans (I use navy pea beans, but other beans work just as well)
• 1 Large onion ( I used a sweet onion)
• 1 Hambone or ham hock

The dry beans need to be soaked. I put them in my 6-quart Dutch oven and cover them with water the night before making the soup.  Drain the water just before making the soup, add the ham bone and refill with water to within an inch of the top of the pan. Chop the onion into chunky pieces, this is a hearty soup. You can add some black pepper but since ham is salty, salt is not necessary.

Place the cover on the pan and turn the heat up to high until the water starts to boil, then lower it down to low so that it will simmer for several hours.  This soup can also be made in a slow cooker. Just put the cooker on high for 4-6 hours and then put it on low until you are ready to eat. 

That's all there is to it. Eat with a side salad or crusty bread. This is a perfect soup to get rid of a leftover ham bone and a comforting meal for a cold winter's day. It has an amazing amount of flavor for such a simple dish. 

My photo of my soup before it was cooked.