Ham and Bean Soup

Winter weather has arrived and it is COLD on the mountain! Since I had a nice ham bone leftover from Christmas, this was the perfect day to make Ham and Bean Soup. The bag of mixed beans came with a slow cooker recipe and I followed the directions but altered the ingredients slightly. It turned out to be a yummy supper with cornbread muffins! I only tended it 3 times today and that made it quick and easy in my book. I was free to do other things without standing over the pot and stirring to prevent sticking!

Ham and Bean Soup
1 pkg mixed dried beans ( or 15 bean soup mix)
2 quarts water
1 ham bone or 2 cups chopped ham
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Fines Herbs or a Bouquet Garni or 2 bay leaves

Place beans and 2 qts water in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Next day, drain and rinse beans.

Place beans and ham bone in slow cooker. Cook on High for 3 hours. Add remaining ingredients and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours or until beans are soft. Remove the ham bone, cool, then remove and chop meat. Discard bone. Return meat to mixture. Cover and continue to cook until desired thickness. Remove and discard bay leaves, if used.

  * This soup is thinner than typical bean soup. I used a stick blender to puree part of the mixture. You could also put part of it in a blender, then return it to the pot. Or eat it as it is!

* If you use chopped ham, add it at the last of cooking time.