Ham & Navy Bean Soup

Whatever your ailment, Ham & Navy Bean Soup is the remedy. The weather report says snow is in our future but everything will be okay.

Ham & Navy Bean Soup

Makes about 6 servings.

• 1/2 cup olive or grapeseed oil, divided
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled & diced
• 1 pork shank, 1 leftover ham bone, or 2 fresh ham hocks
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 pound dried great navy beans, picked over, rinsed & drained
• 2 cups water
• 32 ounces vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (high-quality so it’s not too spicy or bitter)
• 2 teaspoons beau monde
• 1 tablespoon ham Better Thank Bouillon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillion Ham Base
• Course ground pepper
• Sea salt (optional)

Pour 1/4 cup of the oil into a large pot. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent then remove from pan and set aside.

Pour the other 1/4 cup of oil into the pot. Brown ham bone or ham hocks on all sides over medium-high heat.

Add the veggies back into the pot with the ham. Add the navy beans. Pour the water & broth over everything.

Add dried minced onions, paprika, beau monde, Liquid Smoke, and Better Than Bouillion Ham Base for little extra somethin’ somethin’. If desired, you can also add some garlic powder, oregano, and thyme.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, place the lid on the pot with room for steam to escape, and cook for about an hour and a half or until the beans are tender.

Remove the ham bone and allow it to cool to the touch. Remove all the ham you can from the bone and place bite-size ham pieces back into the soup. Add pepper and salt if needed.

Leftovers can be frozen for the next snow day.

Yes, we Seattlites will never make friends with the snow. Soup, on the other hand, well, it makes everything okay. Add corn muffins smothered in honey butter and snow? What snow?