Sweet ‘n Spicy Cajun Ham & Bean Soup

Yield – 4 to 6 dinner servings

Preparation Time – 15 minutes

Cooking Time – 2 hours *plus soak time

Ingredients

• 1 bag HamBeens Cajun 15 Bean Soup mix
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 4 whole carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 ham bone
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 to 3 cups diced ham
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper hot sauce, drops to taste
• Sour cream dollops, as garnish

Directions

• Soak the beans overnight in a bowl of cold water, or for at least an hour in bowl of hot water. Drain well.
• To a large stock pot or sauce pan, add the olive oil and saute the red onion, carrots and celery for 2-3 minutes. Then pour in the chicken stock in with the veggies and add 4-5 more cups of water. Float the ham bone and drained, soaked beans into the liquid. Stir in the chili powder and garlic powder and seasoning packet. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat to medium and cook for an hour and a half, or until all beans are tender.  About 10 minutes before serving, add the chopped diced ham and remove the ham bone from the soup. If there is much meat left on the ham bone, you can slice it off and add it back into the soup.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper hot sauce to taste.
• Serve Sweet ‘n Spicy Cajun Ham & Beans Soup with dollop of sour cream in each bowl. We enjoy this as a simple ‘one-dish’ leftover Easter ham meal!