Navy Bean with Ham Soup

I don't consider myself to be a really good cook. I've come a long ways since I first got married, but I still have a lot to learn in the kitchen. And that's okay; I've got many more years ahead of me to practice. But something I've recently cooked a couple times made me realize just how far I really have come since those first few months of marriage. And to be honest, I was proud of myself. =)

I found this recipe on the back of the Safeway brand navy bean package. The factors that I feel show that I have surpassed the "beginner cook level" were that I used up the leftover ham hock (I always threw that away before), it has a fair amount of ingredients (when I first got married I was afraid of any recipes calling for more than 5-6 ingredients!), for part of the chicken broth I used my own leftover broth I'd saved and frozen from the last whole chicken I'd cooked (even my mom doesn't do that! ;o), and I used dried (rather than canned) beans that I had to soak ahead of time overnight. Several of these things also help to save money, which is especially nice in these tougher economic times.

Anyway, we like the soup so much I thought I would share the recipe with you all. And if you still have your ham hock left from Easter, I would highly recommend using it in this soup. The soup smells delicious as it's simmering on the stove! Hope you enjoy!

Navy Bean with Ham Soup

1 lb navy beans, rinsed, sorted, soaked (overnight with 6 cups water) and drained
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
3 tbsp minced garlic
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 lbs ham hock
2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 sprigs parsley, chopped
2 ½ tsp dried thyme

In a large soup pot, heat oil until hot. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook over moderately low heat until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add beans, broth, water, bay leaves, ham hock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and skim off foam. Stir in thyme and parsley. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hock and bay leaves. Cut meat off ham hock and return to soup. Season with salt and pepper as desired.