Hearty Navy Bean and Ham Soup

Begin by placing navy beans into a Dutch oven and filling it with 8 cups of water. Next, bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Allow the beans to cook for 2 minutes before removing them from the heat source.

Cover the Dutch oven and let it sit for 5 hours, allowing the beans to soften. After this period of time, drain the beans and discard the liquid they've absorbed.

Next, rinse the navy beans with fresh water to remove any remaining impurities. Then, return them to the Dutch oven and add several key ingredients: ham hocks, chicken broth, 4 cups of water, a chopped onion, some fresh parsley, garlic powder, dried basil, black pepper, oregano, nutmeg, and bay leaves.

Bring the soup to a boil before reducing the heat and letting it simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender.

After the beans have finished cooking, stir in some chopped carrots, celery, and potato flakes until everything is well combined. Then, cover the pot and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Once the soup has finished cooking, transfer the ham hocks to a cutting board and let them cool down enough to handle.

When the ham hocks are cool, use a knife to carefully remove the meat from the bones and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Finally, return the ham to the pot and warm everything through over medium heat for about 3 minutes.