Ham and Pinto Soup
Sometimes there's nothing better than a bowl of smokey/creamy ham and bean soup. My kids love this so much - they are always asking me to make it. This whips up quickly with just a few ingredients. I use my homemade chicken broth, but any chicken broth or bullion will do. I use 1 pound of dried pintos, reconstituted in my pressure cooker. That's the equivalent of about four 14/15 ounce cans. Use whatever you have on hand or have access to.
Ingredients
- 1 16oz bag of dried pintos - or 4 cans of pinto beans I reconstitute my pinto beans in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 30 minutes in water - no salt. You can also use 4 cans of pinto beans.
- 2-3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 1 1/2 cups ham cubed
- 8 cups chicken broth
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 7oz can salsa verde (green salsa) a little under 1 cup
Instructions
- In a large heavy soup pot, warm olive oil over medium high heat and saute the onions and garlic until cooked down and slightly caramelized.
- Add the carrots, celery and ham and continue to saute for about three more minutes.
- Add the drained cooked pinto beans, either pressure cooked dried beans or canned beans.
- Next, add the chicken broth. Stir well and let the heat rise again to a low simmer. Cover pot and simmer on medium/low for about 40 minutes.
- As a finishing touch, add salsa verde just before serving. Salt and pepper to taste.
- This soup freezes excellently. I freeze this soup in gallon-sized freezer bags.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!