I’ve been enjoying having some soups tucked away in the freezer. They’ve been great for a quick meal when I don’t feel like cooking. This is a great soup that I was able to make with some leftover ham I had in the freezer. If you don’t have leftover you can buy some smaller ham steaks.
The original recipe for this called for 2 lbs of ham, but I felt like that was more than was needed. I’d probably use about 1 lb next time, but it’s up to your personal preference. You could also add some extra vegetables to this soup if you’d like; potatoes, cabbage, green beans would all be excellent additions. This recipe calls for one can of beans to be blended which helps thicken the soup. If you don’t want to bother with a blender you can skip that step, or if you really like creamy soups you could blend more than one can. I used a magic bullet which was the perfect size for one can and is easy to clean.
Another quick trick I like to use is Better Than Bouillon bases which are easier to store than boxes or cans of stock/broth. I use the vegetable broth most often, but they have a bunch of different flavors. You just add 1 cup water for 1 tsp of the base and mix it in, doesn’t get much more convenient than that.
What is your favorite type of soup?
Ham and Cannellini Bean Soup
Adapted from Budget Bytes
Serves 8
- 1-2 lbs cooked ham, diced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 6 celery stalks, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 4 (15oz) cans cannellini beans
- fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
Before you begin, wash your hands with soap and water.
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add any pieces of ham that have some fat on them to the pot and render the fat, this adds some extra flavor with just a small amount of fat, but you can omit it if you prefer. Save the rest of the ham for later. Remove the ham bits after the fat has cooked down. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and begin to cook down. Add olive oil if needed to keep vegetables from sticking and burning.
Blend one can of beans with the liquid in a blender and set aside. Drain and rinse the rest of the beans. Once the vegetables have softened, add garlic and thyme, mix well until fragrant. Then add the bean puree, beans, and vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to bring soup to a simmer and add in the rest of the ham. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until heated through adding more liquid if needed to reach desired consistency. You likely won’t need to add any salt due to the ham, but taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
