subsistence upchuck: Black Bean and Ham Soup (Crock Pot)

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Black Bean and Ham Soup (Crock Pot)

Boy, (or girl) do I have an easy recipe for you today.?This?Black Bean and Ham soup is?full of flavor, very filling and loaded with healthy goodness. (At least, it?s healthy to me,?man. Please don?t email me any information on the hazards of bullion cubes. I just don?t think I can take it. Thank you for your cooperation. You are such a kind, compassionate reader.

Besides?being fabulous in?taste,?this baby only?requires a short 15 minutes of prep work. Toss it all in the crock pot and let it simmer away throughout the day and you will have a?wonderful little meal on your hands. Sound good?

I thought so!

Let me?show you how?easy it is?

PS?this soup actually has a lot more broth than these pictures indicate. It is definitely?more of a soup than a chili. I ended up taking the pictures of the final product the day after I made it for dinner and the beans really soaked up a lot of the broth. So, please take note. Your soup will have some broth.

Time: 15 min. prep + 4-6 hours crock pot cooking
Yield: 6-7 servings
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red, orange or green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 C?ham, chopped
4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 C chicken broth (I used 3?C water + 3 chicken bullion cubes)
2 C hot water
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1 bay leaf

1. Chop up 4 cloves of garlic, 1 bell pepper (I used several small orange and yellow sweet peppers) and 1 onion.
2. Heat a medium-sized?skillet up over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. When it?s nice and hot toss your vegetables in. Let them cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent. Should take about 5 minutes. When they are cooked, toss them into your crock pot. I used a 7 quart crock pot, but I think you could get by with one as small as a 4 quart.

3. Chop up 2 cups of ham and add them to the pot.

4. Drain and rinse 4 cans of black beans. Add them to the pot.
5.?Pour 3 cups chicken broth and 2 cups of hot water over the black beans.

6. Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin. (Just go along with the picture up above. The jar missing a label is cumin. Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die). Add 1/2 teaspoon of oregano?and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme.

7. Toss one bay leaf into that pretty crock pot of yours and give everything a nice stir. Cover?your crock?and let it cook for 4-6 hours on low.