Protein and veggies makes this simple soup comforting and tasty! I love making a huge batch for dinner and then living off the leftovers for the rest of the week.

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Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 4-6 hours

Makes about 8 servings

• Hickory smoked ham, chopped, about 4 cups’ worth
• 2 – 15.8 oz cans Great Northern beans, or your choice of white beans
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 – 2 lb (32 oz) box chicken bone broth, unsalted
• 2-3 bay leaves
• Salt + pepper

Optional:

• Crusty bread and butter

• Chop carrots, celery, and ham. Drain beans and rinse.
• Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir to combine well. Season with salt + pepper to your liking. If you prefer more broth, add additional bone broth or water.
• Cook for 4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
• Serve hot or warm with crusty bread.

• This recipe is very versatile, meaning you can add or sub almost anything and it will still be good. If you don’t have bone broth, water will season up with the bay leaves and salt + pepper. You can choose any bean you like, dry or canned, though I do recommend cooking the beans first if using dry.
• I love serving this with a loaf of Italian bread that I can bake in the oven for a few minutes to make the outside crusty. You could also do a nice sourdough, or even crackers or breadsticks–whatever you prefer!
• If you want it to be creamier or thicker, you could consider adding some heavy cream along with the broth.
• Store in the fridge for up to a week.

However you decide to dress up this super simple soup, you really can’t go wrong. This is one I used to look forward to my mom making so I could visit and have a bowl while I was there. It’s hearty, feels like a warm hug, and is very hard to only have one bowl.

Bon Appétit!