Inexpensive and Easy: Granny’s Ham and Bean Soup

There is always that one recipe that reminds you of home, and for me its my granny’s ham and bean soup. I have such fond memories of visiting my grandparents farm as a child and spending chilly winter afternoons spent playing in the barn with the sheep and then coming inside and warming up with a big bowl of ham and beans. Posted below is a picture of her standing in the kitchen of her farmhouse.

My grandmother has since passed away after a courageous battle with cancer but this remains one of my favorite foods. My favorite part about this dish as that it makes the whole house smell wonderful, especially if you let it simmer for a long while. Its one of those scents that just brings you home no matter where you are!

Another thing I love about this recipe is just how cheap and easy it is to make! My grandmother was a frugal woman who really knew how to stretch a dollar so this is a great recipe for families trying to cut back on food spending!

All you need is a can of beans(My husband and I prefer great northern white beans but any kind will do), chicken broth, 2 cups of water, 1/2 yellow onion, 8oz of ham, and 2 cups of carrots. This recipe of very flexible though and you can add any vegetables you prefer! This makes about 3 large servings but can easily be doubled to make more or if you’d like to have leftovers.

I buy the ham whenever it goes on sale at my local grocery store as well as beans to save money, which also makes this the perfect “I don’t feel like cooking today” dinner! The main ingredients are on hand and any vegetables you have in the fridge will do.  All you have to do is throw everything in a pot and let that baby simmer for a few hours and BOOM! Dinner is served!

This is the final product! Doesn’t it look yummy?

*My granny always chopped the onion into smaller bits but my husband absolutely hates onions so I leave them in large pieces so they are easy to pick out even after boiing for a long time .

Here is the recipe!

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Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 2 cups of carrots
• 1 can of beans
• 8oz ham
• 2 cups of water
• Seasonings of Choice: I use salt and pepper, thyme, sage, onion powder, and garlic powder. You can also use 2 cloves of garlic to substitute the powder if you’d prefer.

Directions

• Place 1 can of chicken broth and two cups of water to boil in a large pot or Dutch oven
• Chop onion, carrots, and ham into bite sized pieces and add to broth
• Add preferred seasonings to pot
• Once it reaches a rolling boil reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours

** Whenever I make ham and bean soup I always bake a pan of cornbread to go along with it and its an instant crowd pleaser! For all my gluten free eaters out there I cannot recommend Krusteaz GF Honey Cornbread enough! I married a Texas boy so he knows a thing or two about cornbread and he’s given this one two thumbs up, so you know its good!