Soup's in the Pot

In an attempt to be resourceful and use ingredients I have on hand rather than purchase groceries for a specific recipe, I made "Ham and Bean Soup" for dinner tonight. I started with this recipe but made a few changes to my liking and to reflect the contents of my pantry. The first and most important step is to cook a whole, in bone ham a few days prior. When you carve up the ham make sure to leave a good 1 1/2-2 inches of meat on the bone. So here's the recipe I ended up using. WARNING: It makes a lot! (Which is why I plan to freeze about half of what's left.)

• 1 package (20 ounces) 15-bean soup mix
• 5 quarts water, divided
• 1 meaty ham bone
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

Rinse dry beans and place in a Dutch oven with 3 qts. of water. Bring to a boil; boil for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain and rinse beans.  Return to pan; add remaining water and everything but the tomatoes and green chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until beans are almost tender. Remove ham bone. Remove as much meat as you can and return meat to pot.

Add tomatoes and chilies; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with cornbread. Yum!  Yield: 18 servings (4-1/2 quarts).

Word to the wise, I let the beans sit in the water too long and the lentils pretty much fell apart. Still tasted good, but a little mushy.