Bean and Ham Soup

I have been on a bit of a soup kick lately.  I really love soup and the weather we have been having around here has been perfect for it.  One soup that has been on my "I really want to make" list has been a bean and ham soup.  When I was a kid we were a strictly Campbell's soup family and one of my favorite was the Bean and Bacon soup.  There is a restaurant that is close to my office that serves homemade soup and bagels that is perfect for a "fast" lunch without being fast food.  Every once and awhile they serve a Bean and Ham soup and if they have it, I get it.

Joe will eat soup but it isn't his favorite meal...I don't think he would even consider it a meal without a sandwich and a bag of popcorn later on. He is a trooper when I make chicken soup or beef barley soup when having leftovers, but I knew I would be pushing my luck with a bean and ham soup. But luckily, (for lots of reasons) my cousin and her daughter came down last week for a play date and I decided to take advantage of having another soup lover in the house and try a new recipe.

I didn't want to go the route of ham bone because it takes too long and it is more fat than I want.  So, I looked a few different recipes and combined a few different things to get the maximum flavor balanced with the time and health factor.  The result was pretty yummy...

Ingredients
2 (15.5 ounce) cans white navy beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups carrots, diced
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth (I used fat free, low sodium)
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

Directions
1. Mash one can of beans; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, saute the carrots and onion in olive oil.
3. Stir in the chicken broth, ham, and whole and mashed beans.
4. Simmer over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.

This recipe was super yummy and super easy.  I ate some for leftovers and it was really good then too.  My bet would be that it would freeze pretty well as beans and carrots hold up.