Lavender Ham and White Bean Soup
Mila Robinson
This ham and bean soup is one of my favorite recipes. The family has been making it for decades. Because it just gets better as the days go by, we'll enjoy it for dinner one night and then for lunch for several days afterward. Some stews and soups improve the next. It's because the flavors from the beans, ham, and vegetables have time to blend. The starch from the beans settles more into the broth making the soup thicker and more stew-like too.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 3 minutes mins
Total Time 3 minutes mins
Course Ham and White Bean Soup
Cuisine French (Provençal)
- • 1 pound 2 1/2 cups dry white beans, like cannellini, navy or Great Northern.
- • 2 quarts water
- • 2 to 3 pounds smoked ham shanks
- • 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- • 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
- • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- • 1 cup diced onions about 1 small onion
- • 1 cup chopped celery about 2 to 3 ribs
- • 2/3 cup chopped carrots about 1 medium carrot
- • 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
- • Salt and pepper
- • Fresh Italian Parsley
- • Tabasco optional
2. Simmer the Ham Shanks:
3. Sauté the Onions and Garlic:
4. Add Vegetables and Beans to the Ham Broth:
• Once the shanks have simmered for an hour, add the drained beans, the cooked onions and garlic, and the chopped celery and carrots.
5. Simmer the Soup:
• Cook for another 40 minutes or so, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft, and the meat easily pulls away from the bone. Remove and discard the bones and pull off any meat and return it to the soup.