Ham & Vegetable Soup

A new recipe I have tried recently, and it is a "keeper" for my recipe collection ... Ham & Vegetable Soup. I was looking for a new recipe to use up the left-over ham & bone that I have had in the freezer for awhile, and found this one in my "Taste of Home Heartwarming Soups" magazine. Also is a good recipe to keep in mind for that left-over ham bone after Easter Dinner.

Ham & Vegetable Soup

2 pounds smoked ham shanks (or left-over ham & bone)

4 medium carrots, sliced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 medium onion, chopped

8 cups water

2 1/2 cups diced unpeeled red potatoes 

     (Note: I chose to peel the potatoes.)

1 cup each: frozen corn, peas, and cut green beans

1 can (11 1/2 ounces) condensed bean and bacon soup, undiluted

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place ham shanks, carrots, celery, onion and water in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until meat starts to fall off the bones.

Add potatoes and vegetables; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove shanks; allow to cool. Remove meat from bones and cut into bite-size pieces; discard bones. Return meat to kettle. Stir in the bean and bacon soup and pepper; heat through.

Yield:  14-16 servings (4 quarts)

(These must be small servings ~ for the main dish of a meal, probably would be about 7-8 servings.)

Linking up at TidyMom's SoupaPalooza

And linked to Tasty Tuesday