Here’s another great way to use some more of that leftover ham from Easter dinner.

Nothing could be easier.  Just put everything in the slow cooker and let ‘er rip.

I serve with buttered toasted croutons.  All I do here is melt butter in a skillet and “toast” the bread that way then cut in cubes.  Easy peasy.

Soup does thicken when it’s chilled–and there will be leftovers of this unless you’re feeding about 8 people, so on the redux, thin with a little water or chicken stock.

I’ve made this with smoked sausage and kielbasa too.  Both great substitutions if you don’t have ham.

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Split Pea Soup with Ham

Here’s another great way to use some more of that leftover ham from Easter dinner. Nothing could be easier.  Just put everything in the slow cooker and let ‘er rip.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Slow Cooker, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ham, split pea soup

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 297kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone that has meat still on it OR 2 cups thickly diced boneless ham
• 2 1/2 cups 1 regular bag green split peas
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 carrots sliced thickly
• 5 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 1/8 tsp dehydrated dill or a sprig of fresh
• 1 clove garlic crushed

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Set on low and cook for 6-8 hrs. Soup may have to be thinned with more water, depending on how your individual slow cooker cooks--5 cups of water was about right for my cooker and produced a thick, hearty soup. If you like a thinner soup, use 6 cups water.
• Serve with buttered croutons.
• Serves 6-8

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 897mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3519IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg

Split Pea Soup with Ham

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Northeast Hearty Bean Soup

With the recent snows and cold snaps we’ve been experiencing in upstate New York the past couple of weeks, soup, and especially hearty and filling soups have been on my mind.

I finally settled on making my hearty bean soup when I saw a huge bag of great northern beans staring at me in Aldi last week.  I know many swear by navy beans, but I’ve always been partial to great northern.  They’re large and, well, beany.

I have been making this soup for so long I forget exactly when I came up with this recipe.  Usually I made this after having leftover bone-in ham, but it’s not necessary.  You can always use chunk ham and even kielbasa.  Try both.  I did that this time and the flavor is superb.

This soup was always made by a pinch of this and a poke of that, but I did take note of all my pinches and pokes and wrote down the measurements and amounts this time.

I added no additional seasoning, as it was fine for my taste.  I do suggest you taste this before you serve and correct the seasonings if you feel it needs any correction.  Firmly resist the urge to add salt, etc. before it is done.  The very long cooking will draw out the flavors of all ingredients, including the salt in the ham and the sausage.  I also cheated and started out with 1 package, portion, whatever you call that little tub thing, of Knorr vegetable stock (which is seasoned).  If you do have a leftover meaty ham bone, forego the vegetable stock and just use the ham bone and 4 cups of water.

Serve this with a crusty roll and it’s a meal–and then some.

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Northeast Hearty Bean Soup

I have been making this soup for so long I forget exactly when I came up with this recipe.  Usually I made this after having leftover bone-in ham, but it’s not necessary.  You can always use chunk ham and even kielbasa.  Try both.  I did that this time and the flavor is superb.

Prep Time1 day d

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time1 day d 8 hours hrs

Course: Comfort Foods, Pork, Slow Cooker, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bean soup

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 cups great northern beans plus water to cover to soak
• 3 carrots sliced thickly
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 stalk celery sliced
• 1/2 tsp OR about 5 large fresh basil leaves
• about 3 or 4 bunches celery leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 cup diced kielbasa Polish sausage or smoked sausage
• 1 cup cubed smoked ham
• 4 cups vegetable stock

Instructions

• Cover beans with water. Soak overnight. Drain beans.
• Add beans to 5 quart slow cooker. Add all other ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours. Reduce slow cooker heat to LOW and cook for 10-12 hours or until beans are very soft and soup looks thick and stew-like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1339mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5429IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg

Northeast Hearty Bean Soup

 

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It’s been so cold and windy here in upstate New York the past couple of days that all I’ve had on my mind are hearty soups.

Well, we have a delicious ham & bean soup coming up.  It’s in the crockpot cooking right now.  Might even add some smoked sausage to give this more of a punch.

Annnnnnddddd…..

If you love desserts, WATCH OUT.  There’s one on the horizon that will knock your socks off because it’s so easy, you won’t believe it and well, if you love peanut butter and chocolate, all I can say is have a fainting couch ready to catch you.

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