Mom's Ham and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups dried Great Northern beans
• 4 meatys ham hocks
• 5 cups water
• 1.5 cups sliced celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large carrot , chopped
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 0.5 teaspoons dried thyme , or more to taste
• 0.25 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

1. 1

   Place Great Northern beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand for 8 hours to overnight. Drain and transfer beans to a large stockpot.

2. 2

   Add ham hocks, 5 cups water, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf to beans in the stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ham falls off the bones, about 2 hours.

3. 3

   Remove ham hocks from soup. Cut meat from bones, discarding fat and bones. Return meat to the pot. Continue cooking until beans reach desired softness.