Wash the beans and throw away any that are discolored or broken.
Put them in a big bowl and cover them with water.
Allow the beans to soak in water overnight and then drain them.
Advice and Ideas for Making Delicious Ham and Bean Soup
To make the broth thicker and creamier, remove half a cup of beans from the soup, blend them, and then return them to the pot. Blending or crushing some of the soup can make it creamy by releasing the starches in the beans.
You can also use flour or cornstarch to make the soup thicker. Remove some of the hot broth and mix in a spoonful of starch. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it back into the pot and stir until it reaches the thickness you want. This will only take about five minutes or less.
This soup has vegetables, but why not add more? Add more nutrients to it by including potatoes, spinach, zucchini, peas, kale, and cabbage. There are no limits!
If you are including starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes in the soup, allow it to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork. The worst thing is to eat a raw potato.
You don’t have to take out all the meat from the ham bone. The thicker the meat, the tastier the broth will be! This also means you will have more delicious pieces of ham in the soup.
How to Save Extra Soup
Keep any extra soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will taste even better the day after you make it and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. If it’s very cold, store your food in bags or containers that can be put in the freezer and keep them for up to three months.
You only have to heat the soup in the microwave until it’s warm.
It’s better to freeze the soup in small portions. This way, you won’t have to defrost a large amount for just one serving. Using freezer bags makes this task much simpler.
To warm up frozen soup, heat a pot of water until it boils and place the frozen soup bag in it. It will get warmer soon.
If the food is in a plastic container, simply put it in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
