White Bean Soup with Ham and Rosemary

(from http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/11/white-bean-soup-with-ham-and-rosemary.html)

2 c. dry white beans (soaked 8 hours or overnight, then drained)
2 quarts chicken stock (or 2 quarts water with 2 T bouillon.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped ham
1 envelope Goya brand ham flavor base
(optional- I found some in the bag of dried ham beans I bought.)
about 2 additional cups water
1- 2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary (1 T. dried)
2- 3 T finely chopped fresh parsley (or use 1 T dried parsley)
fresh ground black pepper to taste


Soak beans 8 hours or longer in cold water, drain and rinse well.  Put beans, 2 quarts of stock or water/chicken base, and thyme in large soup kettle. Simmer 30 minutes. While soup simmers, chop veggies and ham so that pieces are about 1/4 inch square. Add celery, carrot, onion, and ham to soup pot and simmer 30 minutes more. Taste soup for seasoning. Add up to 2 cups more water, ham bouillon if needed, rosemary and parsley to soup pot. Simmer one hour on very low heat or until beans are nicely softened
and soup is flavorful. When the beans are softened, season soup to taste with fresh ground black pepper and serve hot. This freezes well, so you may want to freeze some in individual containers to take to work for lunch.