Delicious Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

Have you tasted ham and bean soup? Do ya love it/like it? Or maybe the thought of being a gassy mess after indulging freaks you out? (don't run away - that concern will be calmed!;)

This deliciously creamy soup brings back a flood of sweet memories. My Grandpa loves to brag about his ham and bean soup. While Grandma's their master-mind chef, Grandpa concocts a few things and when he does he can't shut-up about his creations. I truly think he's just SHOCKED he can make something that tastes so good. And, boy, is it gooood!

Upon sitting down with our tasty bowl of soup and sweet cornbread, Jason immediately began gushing over his love for this meal. He questioned why we don't have it more often. I thought for a moment and realized it's because I often cook on the fly, scrambling for an awesome meal that we happen to have all the ingredients for, two hours before suppertime. Ahhhhh! A practice so not conducive to this recipe because it requires the beans to soak overnight. Truly, I need to get my last-minute butt in gear and pre-think meals just a bit more, effectively diminishing meal-stress!

To address the gas-factor... yes, it's true, beans can deliver hard-to-digest components that create air bubbles inside, which rarely exit the body pleasantly. I'm no scientist, nutritionist or expert but have read and heard that there are 3 reason to soak your beans:

• So your house doesn't smell like flagellants (just had to use that word). Soaking your beans diminishes the culprits that cause unwanted secretions.
• To diminish cooking time
• If you want tender beans

There ya have it people - soak your beans. PLEASE. How do you do it? Glad you asked. I suppose there are a few methods, but I just rinse mine (to eliminate any stems or debris), cover them with cold water and soak them overnight.

The next morning I drain the beans with cold water and chuck them into the crock pot along with everything else. Aren't crock pot meals fantastic?!

Now, put the lid on your crock pot, set it to low and let it cook for 8-10 hours. A lovely aroma will flow through your house the entire day, getting you so ready to dive in at suppertime.

I'm still playing the "trial and error game" when it comes to nailing the perfect cornbread. For now, I used this recipe from Food.com. I crave a tasty, sweet, moist cornbread that doesn't crumble all over my plate. This recipe satisfied most of my cornbread dreams, but I will continue to search for that "hidden treasure" recipe that's out there somewhere!



"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
Proverbs 11:2 NIV

DELICIOUS CROCKPOT HAM AND BEAN SOUP

Prep time: 20 min.

Cook time: 8-10 hours

Yield: About 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried great northern beans
• 1 ham bone
• 2 cups diced, cooked ham
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large carrots, shredded
• 3 large celery sticks, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tsp dried parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Soak your dried beans overnight: rinse off any stems or debris, amply cover beans with cold water, put a lid on and let them soak all night.
2. The next morning rinse your beans with cold water and throw them into the crock pot along with remaining ingredients.
3. Set your crock pot to low, cover, and cook for 8-10 hours.
4. Before eating, remove your hambone and separate any delicious meat off, throwing this back into the soup. Discard the bone and fat.
5. Serve your soup WITH cornbread (cornbread is quick and easy to throw together). Ham/bean soup and cornbread complement each other SO well! See above for the cornbread recipe I used.

Helpful tip: For this recipe and other ham recipes I make, I like to buy a whole, precooked ham. I bring it home to slice and chop it up. I separate the ham into quart freezer bags - 2 cups in each. It lasts for a while and saves us money! Woot-woot!