Navy Bean and Ham Soup

The night before you plan to make the soup, sort through the bag of beans and remove any stones or other foreign matter. Rinse beans, then place in a large bowl and cover with water. Place them in the refrigerator and soak them overnight.

The next day, drain the beans and set them to the side. Dice up the onions, ham, celery and carrots. In a sauté pan set on medium heat, put in the butter and allow to melt. Throw in the onions, celery, carrots and ham and cook for a few minutes, just to give them some color and flavor.

In the slow cooker, add in your chicken broth, ham, carrots, onions, celery, and beans. Add all the dry seasonings and give it a good stir. Cover and set on low. Cook for 5 to 6 hours and turn off the heat.

If you think you need more salt or spices, go ahead and add it now. I use the salts sparingly because the ham itself is salty, plus whatever amount of salt is already in the chicken broth.

Note: use unsalted butter when you are sautéing the vegetables before adding them to the soup. There is already enough salt in the broth, ham, and the salts you added in.