Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Here's a recipe that was originally going to be posted during the week of crock pot recipes, but I decided it would be perfect for soup week instead. Just cut everything up, throw it into the crock pot, and turn it on in the morning. It seriously doesn't get any easier than this. Thanx again, Pat!

1 piece of smoked ham (about 1 1/2 lb) - a ham steak works well
1 large can or tetra-box of chicken or vegetable broth
10 baby red potatoes
1 onion
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 19 oz. can white kidney beans
1 19 oz. can chick peas
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash or Old Bay
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 bay leaves



The night before:
Cut ham into bite-size pieces and place in center crock of the crock pot.
Add broth.
Wash and cut potatoes in half and add to pot.
Chop onion, celery and carrots and add to pot.
Partially drain kidney beans and chick peas and add to pot.
Add spices and bay leaf (or two if they're small).
Stir to combine.
Cover and place in fridge overnight.

In the morning:
Place center crock back in slow cooker and set to low.
Soup is ready in 6-8 hours.

Just before serving, you can mash up the soup a bit with a potato masher to get it to the consistency you like. Taste for additional seasonings and serve.