Amish Bean Soup

Jess4Freedom's Note:

This is a wonderful warm soup to warm the heart in these last cold days of winter. Being in Wisconsin, warm soup is always a welcome thing. This is a very simple amish soup, so it has very simple ingredients. It's perfect for a beginner cook or someone like me who just wants something easy.

• Total Time: 4 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 2.0 quarts

• 2 cups dried navy beans
• 2 ½ quarts water
• 1 (1 ½ lb) ham bone (thick and meaty)
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 cup potato , cubed
• 1 cup celery , thinly sliced
• 1 cup onion , finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot , cubed
• salt and pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the beans in the water for 2 minutes before removing them from the heat to let stand for 1 hour.
2. Add the ham bone, garlic and bay leaf to the beans, and cover and simmer them for 2 hours or until the ingredients are almost tender.
3. Add the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer them for 1 hour longer. Remove the ham bone, cut off the meat and dice it to add to the beans. Reheat the soup almost to boiling, then remove the bay leaf.

Reviews

[kisci]

ohhhhh !! my goodness !! i have to tell you, i cooked this soup yesterday, and my husband was eating it, and said this is the best thing that you have ever cooked.. including your roast beef dinner ! ha! thank you thank you thank you !! no more canned bean soup for us !

[Annacia]

My apologies Jess but when I started i found that I didn't have enough white beans so I subbed in pinto's making it much darker that it should be. I'm sure that it would be better with white as the pinto's have a stronger flavor. That said, I still enjoyed the soup very much. It's hearty and filling without a lot of fat. As with all soups and stews I know that it will be even better tomorrow. A bowl of this yummy soup and a toasted bun will make you a happy camper. Made for Photo Tag.

[Andi of Longmeadow Farm]

Oh this is so simple yes, but the taste is so complex & divine you will want to make this quite often. I used everything as suggested and followed the recipe perfectly, except I had a large amount of diced button mushrooms from a salad over the weekend that I threw in the pot too. Other then that, followed to a tee and perfection ensued. Put this together in the morning, let it sit and cook on low heat for the last 2-3 hours, put the spoon in, and devoured. I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe, it's so good for you and your soul too. Thanks, Jess! Made for *Everyday is a Holiday* March 2009.