This hearty soup will hit the spot on chilly fall nights. It is one of the best soups I’ve made lately. I shared with a neighbor, who said I outdid myself- high praise indeed. You will be glad to know that most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and you can use canned beans for a short cut. Here are the step-by-step instructions along with some notes on avoiding gluten!
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Ingredients:
- 1 large, sweet onion, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 6 celery stalks, washed and diced
- olive oil
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- 8 oz. cubed ham (I used Smithfield)
- 10 oz. mixed beans (I used a half bag of Hambeens)
- 1 carton gluten free low sodium chicken broth
- 1 carton gluten free low sodium beef broth
- salt free beef bouillon (I used Herb Ox)
- 1/2 tsp. sage
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels
- Schar Table Crackers, for serving
Note ♪ I used HamBeens 15 Bean Soup blend in this recipe. The package is labeled gluten free. Be aware though, that other brands of mixed beans may contain barley and should be avoided by anyone with Celiac disease. I recommend that all beans, regardless of labeling be rinsed several times to minimize potential cross contact.
Preparation:
Rinse the beans under cold water and drain. Place them in a saucepot and add cold water to cover. Cover and let them soak overnight.
The next morning, drain and rinse again. Add back to the saucepot with COLD water, cover and turn the heat on low. Simmer gently for 2 hours.
Drain and rinse again and set the beans aside.
Heat olive oil in a stainless-steel skillet. Begin sautéing the veggies, beginning with the carrots as they take the longest to cook. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and stir frequently for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the carrots to a 5-quart stock pot and proceed to do the same with the celery and onions.
Hint: Sauté the veggies in olive oil before adding them to the soup for extra depth of flavor.
When the veggies are done, wipe the skillet clean and add the diced ham with a bit more olive oil.
Note ♫ For extra convenience I used Smithfield Anytime Cubed Ham, it is labeled gluten free. Always check ingredients on prepared foods like ham!
Cook the ham until the liquid reduces and you can see some caramelization on the bottom of the pan.
Add the ham to the stock pot, and deglaze the skillet with a little beef broth, scraping up the caramelized bits at the bottom. Pour the liquid into the stock pot.
Next, add equal parts of chicken and beef broth, enough to cover the ham and veggies. Return the cooked beans to the pot, along with the bouillon, sage and thyme.
Simmer until the veggies are soft, then add the corn kernels in to heat through (adding the corn at the end of cooking gives the soup a little textural contrast to the soft beans and veggies).
Soup is ready to enjoy with gluten free crackers or bread. Leftovers (if you have any!) can be refrigerated for up to a week. Don’t worry though, it won’t last that long!
Notes ♪♫ I used lower sodium broth and salt free bouillon in this recipe (got to watch that blood pressure 🙄). I did lightly salt the veggies and of course the ham had plenty of salt, so that was enough for me. If you follow a low sodium diet you can cut it down further by using unsalted broth, be sure it’s gluten free!
