Ham and Bean Soup...

ahjenny

I love ham and bean soup. Tossing ham and beans with water in a crock pot and letting it simmer is the epitome of an easy meal. My question is, can I still have the broth and ham if I don't eat the beans?

monkeydharma

Well, while eating the 'Ham &' soup without the bean would be definitely better than WITH the beans - I suspect it is still not the best way to go.

Rather than trying to figure out what you can get away with, let's brainstorm on how to create a paleo/primal soup with a similar mouth feel. The missus and I came up with making a ham soup with kale and turnips and throwing in a handful of chia seeds to thicken the broth (soluable fiber). Other veg can go in as well (carrots, zukes, onion, etc.)

Anyone else have ideas?

jamk1446

I was just remarking on my feed about the simplicity of crockpotting! Pretty much ANYTHING you can throw in the crockpot is the epitome of easy.

Almost any combo of meat and veggies will yield something fantastic. I think though if I was trying to mimic the comfort of ham and beans I would replace the beans with cubed butternut squash, pumpkin or another winter squash. It will be a little sweeter but I think would give you a more similar mouthfeel to eating beans than other vegetables.

ahjenny

Squash is a great idea! I think I will try that, and see how my husband likes it. I've never heard of chia seeds, so I'm going to look those up. My husband is so set in his ways, if all else fails, I may try to make a small soup for me in the smaller crockpot while he has the ham and bean soup. I think my knowledge of various veggies is really going to be expanded in the next few weeks/months!