Mom's Best Ham and Bean Soup

A pot of bean soup made from scratch with navy beans and a big smoked ham bone is made in the pressure cooker. This favorite family recipe is flavored with molasses, brown sugar, and spices, and finished up with some cooked shell pasta to make a meal in a bowl. It's a perfect way to finish off that nice smoked ham you made a day or so ago.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 154 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 cups water
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
• 3 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 cup dry navy beans
• 3 tablespoons chicken soup base
• 1 large meaty smoked ham bone
• 0.5 teaspoon paprika
• 0.5 cup ketchup
• 0.5 teaspoon chili powder
• 0.5 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 0.25 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 0.5 cup uncooked small shell pasta

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place dry beans and 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and allow to stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

Step 2

Place 3 more cups fresh water into a large pressure cooker. Add the soaked beans and ham bone, and stir in parsley, bay leaves, dried onion flakes, garlic, thyme, dry mustard, chili powder, and paprika. Seal the pressure cooker, and heat to 15 pounds per square inch. Cook under pressure for 7 minutes; add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level. Remove from heat, and allow pressure to subside naturally.

Step 3

When pressure has reduced, open the lid of the cooker. Stir in 5 more cups of water, celery, olive oil, tomato puree, ketchup, chicken soup base, molasses, brown sugar, and cracked black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer the soup until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in shell pasta, and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 more minutes.