It's almost soup season and you'll want to start making them as the weather gets cooler. This is the first one you should try if you're a meat and bean soup lover. This soup is over 100 years old and my Grandmother made it often since it's very economical and requires just a few pantry ingredients. The soup has a smokey flavor with using smoked pork chops however you can use any meat and leftovers you have. I do recommend if you're using chicken, beef, or pork you add some smoked paprika for flavor or liquid smoke to give it that old-fashioned smoke taste.

Smoked Pork chops give this bean soup fabulous flavor and is pure comfort food via @Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine.comPhoto byClaudia Lamascolo

Shopping List of Ingredients

• 1 -pound (16-ounce package) of cooked or canned dried navy beans or use whatever other beans you prefer
• 1 large ham bone with some of the scraps of meat left on, or use a ham hock
• Other Alternative meats to use: pork shoulder or butt bone, cooked fried bacon with some of the leftover grease, carcass of a chicken or turkey, bones from chuck roast or other beef, any leftovers from the week like pork chops, smoked pork chops is what I used, etc.
• 1 large carrot grated (or put through the food processor the modern version)
• 2 stalks of celery chopped fine (or put through the food processor to chop)
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 tablespoon each, flat leaf parsley, fresh basil, chopped thyme
• pinch of rosemary
• salt, and pepper to your taste
• water or chicken broth around 7 to 8 cups use more if the soup boils away or gets too thick
• Optional: if using chicken, beef or pork add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke.

Directions:

1. In a 5-quart soup pot, saute the meat over medium heat until crispy and browned.
2. Add the onion, and whole garlic cloves, and saute until fragrant around 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the drained beans and bay leaf.
4. In the same stock pot, remove the beans and add a little more oil to the pan, heat to low heat, and saute the onions, celery, and carrots and saute until the onions look clear and translucent.
5. Add the garlic, and saute for just 1 minute then add the flavored beans back in along with the rosemary sprig and 5 cups of chicken broth.
6. Simmer the soup on low heat and season with salt and white pepper to taste until the soup thickens add more water if needed.
7. salt and pepper to taste.
8. When ready to serve add a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and some freshly cracked black pepper if desired. Garnish with herbs of choice.
9. We like to serve this also with Tuscan Garlic Bread for dipping.

Other Soup Recipes We Love:

Ham Cabbage and White Bean Soup

Our Best Soup Roundup

Old Fashioned Chicken Soup

Printable Recipe for Smoked Pork Chop Bean Soup