Ham and Butterbean Soup

This meal is the last stop on our holiday ham leftover meals journey and I think it is the best.

 I started out with Holiday Ham. Then with the leftovers, I made Ham and String Bean Stew. Now with the leftover ham bone that weighs about 3.3 Lbs. I will be making Ham and Butterbean Soup.

To make all three meals, there were some essentials that I needed to buy. With the exception of some kitchen staples that I already had like Butter, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup and garlic, these are the extra things I bought:

Half Ham shank $15

1 can sliced pineapple 1.25

Small bottle maraschino cherries 1.99

2 12 ozcans tomato paste 1.49 each

2 cans 15 oz butter beans 0.99 each

2 cans cut sting beans 0.99 each

1 12 oz bag wide egg noodles 1.49

1 bag of carrots 1.39

1 5 pound bag russet potatoes 3.49

2 onions 0.99

=29.07

So for under $30 I have made three meals including my holiday ham.

Both leftover meals can be frozen, so you can make ahead, freeze and save for later.

Now on to the soup.

The smell from this pot of soup that is basically cooking half the day is mouth watering! When my kids were smaller they would get so excited just knowing that this was dinner. And the best part is that this soup tastes even better the next day. This soup requires the ham bone from the shank that was made from the holiday ham. So don't throw the bone away! That bone is golden. It is the magic that brings this soup together.

There are wonderful flavors that come together in this soup, from the butter beans (also known as Lima beans), carrots and onion. There are also egg noodles in this dish. Some people cook the noodles right in the soup, but the egg noodles will continue to soak up the soup if you add even a bit to much and then you have to add water to bring back the broth. I have done that many times. Not good. So this time I cooked the noodles on the side and then added them to the soup. Much better. But I must admit my husband is not much of a soup person so he actually likes it when the noodles soak up all the soup. He likes it better as a noodle stew. Go figure.

Anyway this soup is perfect on a rainy day or a cold afternoon. It will warm up the whole house from cooking away on the stove for several hours. And the great thing is, it can be frozen. Just thaw overnight in fridge and let simmer on stove till warmed up.

Leftover ham shank bone

6 carrot sticks roughly chopped into 2 inch pieces.

1 whole onion

1 can 12 oz can tomato paste

2 cans Butterbeans (Lima Beans)

1 12 oz bag of wide egg noodles

I started out by filling a large stock pot with 5 quarts of water. 

I then added the ham bone and a whole onion and I let it cook on medium high for 2 hours. 

After 2 hours I shredded the meat from the bone, which was easy to do since the meat was already falling off the bone. After I removed all the meat from the ham bone, I then removed the ham bone from the soup pot and discarded it.

All that meat came of the bone!

I then added the tomato paste, carrots and beans. Stir well to combine and let cook until carrots are tender, about another hour. 

I cooked the egg noodles in a separate saucepan according to the directions on the package. I drained the noodles and added to soup pot.

This recipe makes a lot of serving, so again you can serve some and freeze the rest if desired. It will freeze well in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this soup, or this leftover meal series.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Today I am battling allergies. I just got home from vacationing in florida, and on the flight home I developed allergies from the altitude change. It happens to me every time I travel. So when I got home I thought I would  make a comforting meal for the family to help with allergies and jet-lag. In my up coming posts I will talk about our trip to Orlando, but for right now here is some good old family comfort food.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

 1 package dry onion soup mix

 1 cup water

 3-3 1/2 pounds pot roast

3 cups cut or baby carrots

Salt

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

Begin by placing carrots at the bottom of slow cooker. 

Season chuck roast on both sides with salt, black pepper and garlic powder and place on top of carrots in slow cooker. 

In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, package of onion soup mix and 1 cup of water and mix well.

Pour soup mixture over chuck roast and cook on high in slow cooker for 5-6 hours or on low 8-10 hours. The roast will be tender and falling apart when done.

This recipe is so simple and so delicious. I can cook this anytime of the week and my family loves this meal. Pair this with some asparagus and some mashed potatoes or egg noodles and dinner is served.