SLOW COOKER HAM AND BEAN SOUP

Your leftover ham bone with all that delicious ham attached to it makes the perfect starter for soup. Add your favorite vegetables and beans and you will have a delicious soup every time. Slow cookers make bean soups a snap to prepare and make a great meal.

Ingredients:

1 meaty ham bone
1 onion
3 garlic heads    
2 celery stalks
4 carrots
fresh sage (or favorite herb including bay leaf, tarragon ,dill, etc)
water 8 cups plus
2- 3 more after removing ham bone
2 cups of beans, washed, sorted and
pre-soaked, I used black beans and lentils

Put chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped celery , chopped carrots and ham bone in slow cooker. Cover with 8 cups water. Add beans and cook for  8 hours. Remove ham bone and any fat pieces when meat falls off bone . If you are using lentils wait and add them for the last hour. Add black pepper and serve.