Ham And Bean Soup Over Rice

Don't know what to do with that leftover holiday ham every year and tired of making countless sandwiches to get rid of it?

This stew is a family favorite of mine, and I look forward to it every year after the hustle and bustle of Christmas has ended. 

For the most part you will follow the recipe for Hurst's Hambeens 15 Bean Soup with just a couple of changes. 

We always use the leftover ham from Christmas but I think it would taste really good with smoked sausage as well!!

Ingredients:  

20 oz. bag of 15 Bean Soup

1 cup of onion, diced

1/2 cup of carrots, diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth

1 packet of Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote seasoning

1 lb. of ham, ham hocks, or smoked sausage

First things first, go out and buy yourself a bag of Hurst's HamBeens 15 Bean Soup. It comes with a packet of seasoning inside, which you will use in addition to some other seasonings.

Pic From Hurst's HamBeens

It's important that you set enough time aside to soak these beans before you try making this recipe. The water will hydrate them and make it so that they don't take FOREVER to cook. 

They will need to soak in a large bowl and be covered completely with water overnight or for at least 8 hours. 

Once they are thoroughly soaked, drain and rinse them off. 

Make sure you remove the seasoning packet before you dump the beans in
 the water!!

Place the diced onion and carrots in a large pot. The carrots are not in the original recipe but they make a great addition. 

To the pot, add the beans and the meat.

I added some big slices of ham, but they will break down while cooking. 

Pour in 1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth and 6 cups of water. 

The chicken broth also isn't in the original recipe but it just adds more flavor!!

Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

After simmering, add 1 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes, chili powder, lemon juice, and garlic to the pot.

Simmer, covered for another 30 minutes.

Finally, add the packet of seasoning provided with the beans, as well as the Sazon Goya seasoning packet. The Sazon Goya seasoning is amazing and should be added to everything possible, so therefore....I added it. It gives so much flavor!!

Taste your soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. 

On the bag of beans they call this recipe a "soup" but to be honest, I struggled with what to call this recipe because it tastes the best, in my opinion, over rice....and then it really doesn't look like soup anymore. So if your looking for something really hearty you can make it like I do and pour it over rice or you can leave it more like a "soup".  

Stir it all up, and chow down!!