White Bean, Ham and Spinach Soup

November 11, 2017

White Bean, Ham and Spinach Soup

I love fall for many reasons; crisp air, colorful leaves....the hill leading up to our road is beautiful, but one of my favorites is because it signals soup season, and I LOVE soup! It's one of those things that often gets better after a day or two.

On one of these fall days a few weeks ago I was really hungry for a simple soup. Ham and bean sounded wonderful. The beauty of soups is that you can easily add flavors as you go. Soup is perfect for guests, can be made ahead and allowed to slowly cook or keep warm over time! Many take very little time and ingredients to pull together. It's a winner. Served with a salad and possibly some warm bread, it's hearty, filling and easy!

I'd love to hear what your favorite soups are to serve this time of year.

One thing I haven't used much of in recipes is root veggies, and fall is the perfect time. I'll have to add some root vegetable soups to my list this fall/winter. I do have a plan to use them with a pork loin I plan to make tonight for dinner. We'll see how we like them.

The beauty of this soup is you can just put what you want and what you like, add more or less broth, depending on how much you want to make. Season it with your favorite seasonings. I kept it pretty simple.

Ingredients:

1/2-1 onion, diced or sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Olive or avocado oil
1 container Organic chicken or vegetable Broth
4 c. water
2 ham steaks (I look for ones with no nitrates or nitrites)
4 c. chopped spinach
3 carrots, peeled and sliced, or diced
1-2 cans cannelini beans
Salt and Pepper to taste
Thyme to taste

Instructions:

1. In a dutch oven or large soup pan, heat oil over med heat.

2. Add onion and garlic. Cook til translucent but don't let it brown.

3. Add onions, and seasonings. I often add slowly and taste as I go, unless I'm following a specific recipe. Cook for 3 minutes.

4. Add broth and water. Bring to a low boil. Allow to simmer till carrots are tender. At this point, remove some of the broth (with beans in it) and process in a blender. This gives it a bit of a creamier consistency....or you can an extra can of beans and blend them with just a bit of the broth.