Ingredients
½ tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 ribs celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 15.5 ounce cans white beans rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1 ¼ – 1 ½ lb bone in ham steak
Instructions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion and celery have softened; 6-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme leaves, cumin, white pepper, and crushed red pepper cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth, brown sugar, white beans, and bay leaves. Add the ham steak by slicing it into sections that will fit in the pot. Don’t forget to include the ham bone. Let everything simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Remove the ham from the pot and cut it into bite-size pieces. Discard any fat, skin, ham bone, and bay leaves. Return the ham to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. If desired, season to taste with additional black pepper, crushed red pepper, or thyme.
For a creamy texture and if you prefer thicker soups, puree a small portion of the soup with a handheld immersion blender or in a stand blender. Always remove the inner cap when blending hot liquids.