Pinto Bean Soup (Pintos & Ham)... Simply Delicious

The aroma filling the house as these cook will tantalize and smell so delicious that you will hardly be able to wait for the beans to become tender for a taste of these "simply delicious" pintos! My M-i-L was a simple Southern cook... everything was delicious & mostly "no recipe." Just came together because she willed it to be biscuits, cornbread, pintos, greens, corn casserole, oyster dressing, etc. Her pintos were my exposure to HOW GREAT pintos and cornbread could be! I'll admit that SHE did not use tomatoes in her beans... simple food being the key. The tomatoes I owe to the vendors in the Charleston Market with their 15-bean mixes and recipe variations for great pots of beans . A little more labor and time than some dishes, but inexpensive and WELL WORTH the time for a hearty delicious meal. (Prep Time does NOT include slow or quick soak time... only actual work time) Keeps a week plus in refrigerator & freezes well.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  leftover meaty ham bone (or 2 Ham Hocks)
• 24  ounces dried pinto beans, sometimes I use 2 to 1 ratio of pintos to white beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  extra spicy  Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt (or less if salt is a concern... still delicious)
• 1 -2  tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1⁄2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped (or sliced)
• 1⁄2 red onion, coarsely chopped (or sliced)

Directions

1. Sort dry beans removing broken beans and any foreign debris. Rinse the beans.
2. Soak overnight in a large bowl covered by 2-inches of water (slow soak) -or- put in a stock pot covered by 2-inches of water; bring to a boil for 2 minutes; remove from heat and leave covered for 1-hour (quick soak).
3. Drain and rinse the beans. Return to a stock pot covered by 1-inch of water.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the ham bone; stir to mix well.
5. Nestle the ham bone into the bed of beans, cover and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to a low simmer for about 3 hours,occasionally stirring gently in the beans under the hambone -or- until the beans are tender.
7. Carefully lift the ham bone (or hocks) from the soup and place on a board so the lean meat can be cleaned from the bones. Return the lean meat to the soup. Discard the bones.
8. Enjoy with hot cornbread!
9. Freezes well.