Ham and Bean Soup

On Wednesday I had a pre-Thanksgiving celebration with my friends before our volleyball game. We made a huge ham and need a place to put all the leftovers! What could be more perfect than a soup? I made ham and bean (my personal favorite) and split pea and ham (coming up next). Yummy! We have lots to share so I am sure our family and friends will be very happy.

Ingredients
9 cups uncooked navy beans (about 3 bags)
20 cups chicken stock (you can use canned or better than bouillon)
6 cups diced ham (cut from a bone-in ham)
1 cup onion, diced
3 cups carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cup celery, diced
1 Tbl salt
1/2 Tbl black pepper
1 ham bone

Instructions
Soak beans according to package (I did the quick soak). When beans are done, rinse in colander and place in large soup pot. Add ham bone, ham, and chicken broth. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours. Add salt, pepper, and vegetables. Adjust heat to medium low and cook for another 1 1/2-2 hours. Remove ham bone when it is clean and serve. Enjoy!