One of Our Very Favorite "Warm Your Bones" Recipes

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while, as it is one of our family's absolute favorites.  When I saw the Question of the Week at Multiples & More was about favorite winter meals, I knew this was it.

I call this recipe "White Bean Chowder", which I think sounds a little more sophisticated than ham and beans.  :)  Really, though, there's not much "sophistication" to this set-it-and-forget-it recipe.

(This picture was taken in landscape, but for some reason Blogger flipped it on its side...and I can't figure out how to get it side-to-side again.  Sorry for the weird angle!)

1 pound dry navy or northern beans
1 thick slice of country ham, trimmed and cut into cubes
1 onion, roughly diced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5-6 cups of water, depending how "soupy" you want the meal to be

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse.  In a standard-size crockpot, combine the beans with all other ingredients.  Cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours. 

That's it!  ENJOY!!!

This is such an easy meal for our family.  I can get it going in 15 minutes during the morning, and then it's ready to eat by suppertime.  Our girls DEVOUR it, too.  The last time I made this, they each ate THREE BOWLS that first night!  I love it with some yummy bread and a crisp salad.  And the leftovers are wonderful, too.