senate bean soup

2 cups Navy Beans
1 Onion
1 large Ham slice
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
7 cups water

Rinse the beans in hot water until they are white. Place them in a stockpot, add the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until lightly browned. Add the onion to the pot of beans. **Remove 2 cups of the bean mixture, puree in a blender, and return to the soup. Add to ham to soup mixture. Just before serving, season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KASPER10779.