Butter Bean Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 3 1/2 quarts chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons chicken base (not boullion...too salty)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 (15 ounce) cans butter beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cups diced ham
• 2 teaspoons garlic granules (i prefer a few minced cloves of fresh garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil.
• 2 add base, bay leaves and beans.
• 3 reduce heat, and simmer.
• 4 in a skillet or sauté pan, heat oil until shimmery, and add diced onion, celery and carrot, and cook until soft, 10 minutes or so.
• 5 add diced ham to the pan and sauté until ham begins to brown.
• 6 add garlic, salt, thyme and parsley to pan, and continue to cook about 10 minutes.
• 7 scrape contents of pan into the stockpot with the soup and beans.
• 8 continue to simmer about 2 hours.
• 9 remove bay leaves before serving.