Northern Bean Soup

Description
A River of Recipes: Native American Recipes Using Commodity Foods by the USDA Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, public domain government resource—original source of recipe
 * Serves: 8

Ingredients

 * 8 cups water
 * 1 pound dried Great Northern or lima beans (2 cups)
 * ½ can (15.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
 * 2 cups chopped ham
 * 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
 * 1 tablespoon instant beef bouillon
 * 1 teaspoon salt
 * ½ teaspoon pepper
 * 1 clove garlic, crushed
 * 2 cups mashed potatoes
 * 2 medium carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
 * 2 medium celery stalks cut into ½ inch pieces (1 cup)
 * non-fat milk (optional)

Directions

 * 1) Heat water and beans to boiling in large pot; boil 2 minutes.
 * 2) Remove from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour.
 * 3) Add tomato sauce, ham, onion, bouillon, salt, pepper, and garlic to beans.
 * 4) Heat to boiling, reduce heat.
 * 5) Cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. (do not boil or beans will burst.) skim fat if necessary.
 * 6) Stir potatoes, carrots, and celery into soup.
 * 7) Heat to boiling, reduce heat.
 * 8) Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
 * 9) Stir in 1 to 2 cups milk or water for thinner consistency.