15 Chili Bean Soup with Kirkland Lean Ham

1 bag Hurst's HamBeens Chili 15 bean soup mix with seasoning packet
1/2 cup lentils dried
2 onions = 2 cups
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp butter3 TBSP A-1 Marinade New York Steakhouse (savory black pepper and onion
2 TBSP worcestershire
1 can (14.5 oz) Western Family stewed tomatoes mexican style
1 can ( 14.5 oz) Western Family petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
3 cans (14.5 oz/ Western Family Black Beans ( I pureed 2 cans for a thicker soup and put one in whole at the end of cooking the dried beans)
3 cups Kirkland Hickory sliced Ham - fat removed cut in pieces
Ham Stock - 2 cups (cook ham bone etc down strain fat off when cooled)
Teqilla 2 oz
triple sec 20z

1) Follow directions on Hurst's Ham Bean Mix putting in 12 cups water and cooking for 1 hour. I added 1/2 cup dried lentils.
2) While beans cooking saute onions in butter, garlic, New York Marinade + Worcestershire till nicely brown and somewhat carmalized.
3) To above onions add the 2 cans of tomatoes, the spice mix from the Beans and simmer for ie 10 min
4) Take cut up ham (bite sized pieces) I like slightly bigger pieces so they don't get lost in the soup. Saute them in the triple sec and tequilla just until lightly brown - few minutes - put aside.

After the beans have cooked 1 hour add the pan with onions tomatoe mixture to the bean pot as well as the black beans - the pureed ones and 1 more can whole black beans and simmer for 1/2 hr - 3 hrs. I like my soup simmered for longer to meld the flavors but 30 min will do it. I add the ham about 30 minutes before eating to not over cook the ham but give time to meld the flavors

Number of Servings: 25

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user DISER1.