Easy Ham and Bean Soup

From Ida Abelson

 

This recipe is so simple, yet so tasty. It's a great soup for cold, rainy days.

Ham hocks (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 cup mixed dried beans (see below)

Place the ham hocks in a 5 quart soup pot. Add water until 3/4 full. Add dried beans. You can use whatever beans you want. I buy pinto beans, black beans, red beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, and black-eyed peas. I mix them all together in a jar and use 1 cup of this mix for the recipe. But if you have other beans you prefer, just use them. If you want a really thick soup, add an additional half cup of beans.

Cover the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 3-4 hours. Taste the soup to see if it needs any spices. Often the hocks are salty, so you may not need to add more salt. As the beans cook they release a lot of flavor. But if you want more flavor, you might try adding some pepper or garlic or onion powder.

Fat from the hocks will rise to the top which you can periodically skim off with a spoon. As the soup cooks, the meat from the hocks will fall off the bone. Serve these meat pieces along with the soup. Like many soups, this one seems to taste even better the second day. So after a day of cooking, simply let it cool and place it in the refrigerator. The next day reheat.

 

Have a recipe to share? Click here.

Looking for a special recipe? Click here.

Back to Brickyard Cove Cookbook