Ham and Bean Soup

There is nothing better than a bowl of homemade soup on a cold and drizzly day. Yesterday morning at 8 a.m. , when I was looking in my freezer to take out something for dinner, I noticed a ham hock I had frozen from last Christmas. So, I decided I would try making som ham and bean soup. I put the ham hock in a stock pot and filled it with water (about 14-18 cups). I put it on the stove on high until it came to a rolling boil then I turned the temp down to med-low and let it simmer most of the day. Be sure to check the water level every now and add when necessary. About 6 hours later it smelled great!! I pulled what very little ham was left from the bone and discarded any bone, grissle, and fat. Next I added the following:

5 carrots, halved and chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
fresh ground pepper to taste

I let this simmer for another hour or so. Then I added three 15 ounce cans of navy beans and simmered for another 10-15 minutes. My next secret???? In order to thicken the soup just a bit I gradually added about 1 cup of mashed potato flakes. You need to stir this in well so that you do not get any potato clumps in the soup.

I served this with fresh hot honey whole wheat bread I had baked in my bread machine the same day.

It was great and it really hit the spot on a cold and drizzly Iowa day. Enjoy !!!