Bella~Mella's Southern Cucina

A Simple Sunday Dinner

Taking the hambone from Easter Sunday's Ham, I made soup. And you can't eat ham soup without cornbread! So I made that, too.
My ham soup always starts the same but I take a different recipe road with each pot I make. I trim the fat and some of the ham from the bone. Cover the bone with water and bring to a boil. Add diced onion and celery to the pot. Salt & pepper. Add a can of mild Rotel tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes. I also used 16 oz. of dried Great Northern Beans. The day before, I prepared the beans according to the package directions for the "quick soak."

After adding the beans, let the "soup" return to a boil. Lower the heat and remove some of the beans - about 1 cup - to mash. I put them in a bowl and used the back of a large spoon to mash the beans. This adds creaminess and thickens your soup. I also added left over ham to the pot. I finished off my soup Saturday night (removing the ham bone) and refrigerated it. When we returned from church Sunday, all I had to do was skim off a bit of fat from the top and return the soup to a stockpot. While it was re-heating I made a pone of cornbread. After my preparation on Saturday this simple dinner took only 1/2 hour from refrigerator to table.

Sometimes I make ham soup with potatoes, corn and carrots. It's all good!

Quite simply...satisfying!