"Anything But Split Pea!" Ham and White Bean Soup

I'm sure that there's many Split Pea Soup lovers out there.  Making a big old pot of it is as much a part of your post Easter traditions as snatching up discounted chocolate is.  At least I know that batch of homemade Split Pea Soup was a part of my childhood.

And I hated that soup.

To be fair, I haven't tried that mushy, pukey green soup in years.  Decades, really.  Although I know I have to conquer overcome that childhood trauma someday, I wanted to make leftover ham soup with something other than split peas.  So I compromised and decided on white navy beans.

White Bean Ham Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white beans (or use canned if you don't like messing with dried beans).
4 cups veggie stock (I made some homemade stock the day before)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup raw potato, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 cups leftover diced ham

1 can of kernel corn

Place potatoes in veggie stock along with bay leaf.

Cover and bring to a boil slowly. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about till potatoes begin to get tender. Add cooked beans, celery, ham, corn and simmer till heated through.  

Season with salt and pepper.

Of course there's tons more things you can do with this soup - use a ham bone to make the stock, add carrots, canned tomatoes, onions & garlic - but I simply used what I had on hand and it worked great.  That's what I love about homemade soup, you just use what you have!

Maybe next year I'll try the Split Pea version....but then again my children ate this without gagging, so maybe I'd better stick with what works!

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