Soup...I like soup, brothy soup, creamy soup, bean soup, vegetable soup...

I like soup! With that being said I am on the hunt for good hearty soup recipes. While I was with my family over Thanksgiving we had soup two times, taco soup and this delicious split pea soup that my sister made (by the way I NEED that recipe). My goal in my menu planning is to make one night a week soup night. I would also prefer the soup recipe to be crock pot friendly.

This week I went on the hunt for a bean and ham soup. I searched google and pinterest and blogs. I read reviews and I looked at pictures. I finally settled on this one from food.com. It was delicious!!! It even passed the test of my husband and my three year old. You can see the recipe here. It is not a thick or creamy soup, it is brothy...I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this, but it was GOOD, very flavorful, and very filling. I made a few changes to the recipe so here is the recipe I used.

1 lb dry navy beans, soaked over night
1 1/2 qts water (the recipe calls for two, I used one and it wasn't quite enough for the leftovers)
1 lb ham steak, diced (I added the bone that comes in the steak for extra flavor, I removed it once the soup was done)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 C chopped celery leaves (I just chopped off the top of the celery bunch and used the leaves and the celery, I just gave them a fine chop. I used double what the recipe calls for, I like celery and veggies)
1 md - lg carrot, diced ( I added this, it gave good flavor and a nice touch of extra veggies)
1 medium onion
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste

1. Soak beans in a pot of full water covering them over night
2. Put all ingredients in crock pot
3. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, or on high 5 to 6
4. Enjoy!!!

I served ours with crusty-buttered bread and a side salad. I was delicious and truly a fix it and forget it kind of meal~ don't we all need a few of those recipes this time of year :) Maybe you can add some soup recipes to your winter menu.

Now I am on the hunt for broccoli and cheese in a crock pot and doesn't require Velveeta, Cream of anything soup, or Condensed cheddar cheese soup. Not that I am against using these sometimes, I am just looking for a more wholesome soup. The hunt begins.