Cajun Ten Bean and Ham Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mixed dried beans
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp each: salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano, sweet paprika, hot smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder
• 1 ham bone plus 2 cups chopped ham (if you don't have a bone, ask your butcher for one)
• 8 cups water
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 cup mixed bell peppers, diced
• handful of chopped fresh parsley
• Wondra flour for thickening (or use a gluten free flour like potato or cornstarch)

Instructions

1. Rinse the beans and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed soup pot and saute the onion for a few minutes. Add in the herbs and spices, ham bone and 8 cups water. Bring up to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for an hour.
3. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender. Add in the carrots and peppers.
4. If you like a thicker soup, sprinkle in some quick dissolving flour, like Wondra, until you get it as thick as you want it. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't overdo the flour.
5. At this point I like to let the soup cool and then refrigerate until ready to eat. This gives the soup time to develop some extra flavor.
6. Reheat the soup add the parsley right before serving.

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.