Thrifty Cold Monday Recipe: Ham and Bean Soup

I had posted in Meal Plan 1 a quick run-through of my bean soup recipe, but was asked by a couple of people for a more thorough recipe, so here it is. This is perfect for the cold weather, and you could easily make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the ham, and the bacon grease.

I usually buy a bean soup mix, like the one below but you can easily use a mix of other dried beans you like.  Follow the soaking directions on the package and reserve the dried seasoning packet if you are using a mix.

Next, I heat about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in a large stockpot. I love the flavor this gives my soup. After cooking bacon, while the grease is warm but not too hot, I pour it into a glass jar and keep it refrigerated. It is the base for nearly all of my soups, eggs, and beans. Behold, the bacon-y goodness:

While that's heating, I dice up a small onion, a few cloves of garlic, and ham. I have used leftover ham from holidays, a ham steak or just deli meat. For this pot of soup, I had bought some deli ham meat while on sale and froze it for just this purpose. I let it thaw the night before, then diced it the day I needed it. 

I usually buy a large jalapeño pepper, seed it, and finely dice it and keep it in my freezer in a plastic container. I add about 1 teaspoon of it and the onion to the stock pot and sauté until soft (a bit of ham snuck in).

Next, I add my ham and my garlic. Doesn't everyone use a baby spoon to measure?

Now you have this happy mix:

Once I cook this for about 5 minutes, I add my beans.

I used home made stock from a rotisserie chicken, but any canned or boxed broth would work. I am not a big fan of water, because it just will not give the soup the same flavor, but if you absolutely had no choice, it would work too. Add it to cover the beans with about an inch more on top. Lastly, I add 1 can of tomato sauce. I like the depth of flavor this gives the soup.

Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 2 and a half hours. Add the dried soup mix packet in the last 30 minutes, along with any additional seasonings you like. I always add a pinch of thyme, some salt, pepper, and a bit of Cajun seasoning. I don't measure anything, just throw it in and taste. I had some pasta that wasn't really enough for a full meal, so I added some in for about 10 minutes until they cooked. This is completely optional.  

I hope some of you guys try this; it is so good!