Another simple and enjoyable soup (once you have made your ham stock). The ham stock can be replaced with vegetable broth and the ham bits can be replaced by tofu, cooked rice, or cooked pasta for a nice vegan meal.
Servings:
6 to 8
Preparation Time:
2.5 hours
Tools
- 4 to 6 qt. soup pot with lid
- large strainer or fine collander
- knife and cutting board
Ingredients
A
- 8 c. ham stock
B
- 1 - 2 c. dry black beans
C
- 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4" cubes
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4" cubes
D
- 1 c. ham, cut into 1/4" cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
- Place the pot over a medium heat, add the stock, and cover.
- Spread the dry beans out on the cutting board and remove any stones or broken beans.
- Wait for the stock to start to simmer but do not let it come to a full boil
- Scoop the beans into the strainer and rinse off any dust/dirt.
- Add the beans to the pot, partially cover, and turn the heat down to low
- Stir a bit every 15 to 30 minutes until the beans are tender. This will take almost two hours.
- After the beans are tender, add the carrots and onions.
- Wait another 15 minutes for the carrots and onions to soften a bit.
- Stir in the ham and let it heat through.
- Turn off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
I like to cook the beans slow so that they do not break up during the cooking process. This soup freezes okay as long as you have not added any pasta. The beans will not survive the thawing but the re-heated soup still tastes great.