A steaming bowl of hearty ham and bean soup with bits of carrot, onion, and celery is filling and delicious on a cold winter day, and it is tasty anytime of the year. When served with hot homemade cornbread or white crusty bread slathered with butter, it tastes even better. Homemade ham and bean soup is very easy to make, and it tastes much better than the most expensive canned varieties. Try the following easy homemade ham and bean soup complete with nutritious vegetables, and warm up your body from the inside out. This is comfort food unlike any other, and it does not get any easier than this.
Before Beginning
It is necessary to sort through dried beans before preparation. They are completely natural, and although care is taken during the packaging process, an occasional pebble or other unwanted debris ends up with the packaged product. A colander or sieve is very handy when sorting and washing the beans.
Necessary Ingredients for Homemade Ham and Bean Soup
To make easy homemade ham and bean soup that serves six to eight hungry people you will need two heaping cups of dried great northern beans, two cups of cooked cubed ham, two medium diced carrots, one stalk of chopped celery, one teaspoon of garlic powder, one-half cup of catsup, a small diced white or yellow onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Great northern beans are a classic variety of bean, and they are ideal for this type of soup. You will also need a medium bowl, a large kettle with a lid, and six cups of hot water.
Procedure
Begin by washing, soaking, and sorting approximately two cups of great northern beans. Soak them overnight in a bowl of cool water.
After the beans have soaked, add them to a large kettle along with six cups of hot water. Cook the beans in the water over medium heat with the kettle lid slightly tilted. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat down to low with the lid in place. Allow the beans to simmer in the water for approximately one hour before adding other ingredients. If the vegetables are added too soon they will become too soft and fall apart during the cooking process.
After about one hour, add the diced carrots, and allow the homemade ham and bean soup to simmer for another half hour before adding the diced onion, chopped celery, diced onion, cubed ham, and garlic powder. Occasionally stir the homemade ham, bean, and vegetable soup, and add hot water if necessary. Simmer the bean mixture for an additional half hour or until the beans and vegetables are adequately soft and ready to enjoy. Lastly, stir in the catsup, and add salt and pepper to taste.
This homemade ham and bean soup with vegetables will become naturally thick during the cooking process, and it will thicken even further upon standing. If it becomes too thick, gradually stir in hot water. Allow the ham, bean, and vegetable soup to sit for approximately fifteen minutes before serving it with crusty homemade white bread or delicious homemade cornbread.
