Mom's Ham and Bean Soup recipe

[Addie]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

I think I deserve a pot of ham and bean soup...Shrek is not a fan.

Give him a can of Campbell's Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. He will be so happy. Memories of his mother making lunch for him.

[Cooking Goddess]

I've lazied up this recipe over the years. My changes:

No roux. To make the soup a little thicker, I mash some of the beans against the side of the pot during the last half-hour of cooking.

Once you fry the bacon and remove for adding back later, I use the bacon fat to saute the chopped onion and carrots. I found that too much bacon fat (yes, that can happen) and raw onions were giving me indigestion. I think the end result tastes nicer, too.

I forgot the potatoes this last time. Didn't miss them. Well, that's one less thing to chop next time!

I also didn't have a leftover ham bone this time. I bought ham ends from my local butcher - about $1 a pound! No bone to cut around=faster time and more ham. LOTS more ham.

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

I've lazied up this recipe over the years. My changes:

No roux. To make the soup a little thicker, I mash some of the beans against the side of the pot during the last half-hour of cooking.

Once you fry the bacon and remove for adding back later, I use the bacon fat to saute the chopped onion and carrots. I found that too much bacon fat (yes, that can happen) and raw onions were giving me indigestion. I think the end result tastes nicer, too.

I forgot the potatoes this last time. Didn't miss them. Well, that's one less thing to chop next time!

I also didn't have a leftover ham bone this time. I bought ham ends from my local butcher - about $1 a pound! No bone to cut around=faster time and more ham. LOTS more ham.

When I am making pea soup, I will buy smoked ham hocks. A lot cheaper than buying a whole ham, and I find that they have a more intense smoky flavor. A ham is just too much meat for both Pirate and myself. On the rare occasions I do buy a small ham, I cut off all the meat after the first meal, divide the cutoffs into small packets for future use for sandwiches or even breakfast.