Bean Ham Bacon Soup Food

15 BEAN AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Notes before you begin: Sort through your beans carefully and discard any small stones or debris, and any damaged beans. Rinse the beans with cool water. You have two options for preparing your beans before you cook them. You can either 1) soak them overnight in cold water, or 2) cover the beans with water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the beans and let rest for 70 minutes in the hot water. Drain the beans and add them to a large stock pot. Now your beans are ready to use.
• To your stock pot and beans, add the ham bone, chopped ham, bacon bits, half the onion, half the celery, half the carrots, and enough broth to cover 2 inches over the beans. Season with Worcestershire sauce, Liquid Smoke, Dijon mustard, chili powder, bay leaves, pepper, parsley, rosemary.
• Simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2.5 hours. Add more chicken broth as needed to keep beans covered.
• Remove the ham bone. Add diced tomatoes and chillies, vegetable juice, and remaining vegetables. Continue to simmer for 1 hour. Add more broth as needed.
• Add the seasoning packet that came with the dry beans. Add lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes while you make cornbread, rice, or other side dishes. Remove bay leaves before serving.
• TIPS: It is important that you don't add acidic ingredients such as tomatoes or lemon juice until the end of the cooking process as noted above. Acid tends to affect cooking times and can make beans tough and chewy.
• Beans contain a natural sugar called Riffanose that is not digestible by the human body and can cause excess gas. One way to cut down on the gas is to cook a large, peeled potato with your beans for at least one hour. I cut the potato in half and add it during the first hour of cooking. Be sure to take it out and discard it. Eating it can make you sick to your stomach, as the potato absorbs a large percentage of the Riffanose.
• Finally, it's important to note that it takes several hours for the flavor of this soup to properly develop, so resist the urge to taste it until the last 30 minutes. Definitely do not add salt until the end because it tends to get saltier as the broth cooks out. If you find it to be too salty, add hot water. As with any soup or stew, the flavor is best the next day, so feel free to make ahead. This soup can be made in the crock pot, using a full 8 hours cooking time. It freezes well.

BEAN WITH BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Pick through the beans, then rinse and drain them. Put them in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak overnight.
• Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the chicken stock and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• While the beans are simmering, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add half the bacon to the beans, reserving the rest for garnish.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet and add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with some salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for another minute, stirring to combine.
• Using a slotted spoon, add the vegetables to the beans. Add the bay leaves and give it a good stir. Taste to check if it needs any additional seasoning. Simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When ready to serve, stir in the tomatoes. Serve with the reserved bacon and chopped parsley.

BEAN AND BACON SOUP (CANNED OR DRY BEANS!)

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottomed pan, cook the bacon over medium heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
• Add vegetables to pan and cook until onions are translucent and carrots and celery are beginning to soften, 4-5 minutes.
• Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another minute or until fragrant.
• Add chicken broth, water, beans, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, and half of bacon. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• Remove about half of the soup, and puree the remaining soup using either a hand-held immersion blender or a traditional blender. Stir blended and unblended soup together and add remaining bacon, reserving some to garnish, if desired.

BEAN, HAM & BACON SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Place all ingredients except wine vinegar, beans, salt and pepper in a large kettle. Simmer until veggies are tender. Add beans until cooked through. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt & pepper if needed. NOTE: If using dry beans that you have soaked overnight, put them in the kettle with the veggies..simmer until beans are cooked through.
• 2. Use an immersion blender to puree some of the beans in the pot to thicken to your desired consistency.
• 3. You probably won't need to add salt to this as there is plenty from the bacon and ham. I used lower sodium bacon and it was perfect.

LIMA BEANS AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans before adding to a pot of water and bringing to boil for 3 minutes.
• Set aside to soak for 1 hour.
• While beans are soaking, melt butter in large soup pot.
• Saute onions, carrots, and celery for 3-5 minutes.
• Add 8 cups water, bay leaf, salt and dash of pepper.
• Add halved potatoes.
• Drain lima beans and add to pot.
• Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to medium low.
• Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender.
• Add cubed ham during last half hour.
• Mash the potato halves to thicken the stock.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

BEAN WITH BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Pick through the beans and give them a rinse. Put them in a bowl and cover them with water by two inches. Let them soak overnight.Drain the beans and place them in a pot. Add the chicken stock and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. While the beans are cooking, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just barely crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Add 2/3 of the bacon to the beans and reserve the rest for garnish.Drain the bacon grease from the pan and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season them with some salt and pepper and cook until just beginning to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Add the vegetables to the beans. Add the bay leaf and give it a good stir. Cover and cook on low (to medium-low) until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add a cup of broth if the liquid level gets too low. When ready to serve, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If desired, stir in the tomatoes. Serve with chopped reserved bacon and chopped parsley.

BEAN AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans; discard liquid., In a large saucepan, combine the broth, beans, parsley, bay leaves and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and beans are tender. Stir in bacon. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

NAVY BEAN AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• In large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot, and celery and saute for five minutes. Add garlic and saute for thirty seconds.
• Add 1 and 1/2 quarts chicken stock, beans, ham hocks, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and diced ham. Add a little freshly ground black pepper.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You may need to add additional stock.
• Remove ham hocks or ham bone and allow to cool enough to handle, then cut the meat off the bones and add to the pot along with the cup of diced ham. Discard the bones.
• If you want to thicken the soup, remove about 2 cups of beans and puree in a blender then add back to the soup.
• Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. The ham is usually salty so I don't add much salt until I taste the soup. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

HAM, BEAN AND BACON SOUP WITH SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the bacon and brown. Remove the bacon, and reserve. Add the ham and brown, then remove and reserve. Melt in the butter, and add the garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots and bay leaf. Partially cover and cook to soften, 10 minutes. Add the stock, 2 cups water, the reserved ham and bacon, the sauerkraut and beans, and simmer until potatoes are cooked and soup flavor combines, 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cool completely and store for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, reheat over medium heat. Add the parsley just before serving and pass bread at the table.