Basic Ham and Bean Soup

1 pound dry great Northern beans (I used canned white kideny beans and chick peas and it wtill turned out great. Another option is lentis)
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt (Use sea saat... much healthier)
1 ham hock
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I put in 2 Tbsp... we like garlic)
1 teaspoon mustard powder (this is a must!)
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped ham
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (I just used black peper since we didn't have white)

I added peas as well. (I used frozen even though dried are recommended)
Another option is adding diced patotoes.
Some people add chicken broth but I didn't and it turned out great.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-ham-and-bean-soup/detail.aspx
Is the website where I found this soup. There are some comments for users that are helpful.

1. Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans and remove from heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for at least 60 minutes.
2. After the 60 minutes of soaking, return the pot to high heat and place the ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 more minutes.
3. Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season with ground white pepper to taste.



Serving Size: Approx. 10 Servings

Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BEE_FIT.