Golden Pea, Barley, Vegetable and Ham Soup

I love Bob’s Red Mill Grains and Beans. I found that the Big Lots near my house sells these high quality soup bean mixes that are great for making soup. I purchased the Vegi Mix which is Golden Split Pea, Barley, Lentil and tiny Vegetable pasta. http://www.bobsredmill.com/entrees/

I also wanted veggies and meat in my soup, so I used the following to make this hearty soup last night. I used Neiman Ranch Ham which is lean, yet adds flavor.

1/2 yellow onion
1/4 stick butter
5 stalks of celery diced
2 cups of chopped carrots
Herb Blend or Italian Herbs
1/2 large container of Vegetable Broth
2 quarts of water
Bag of Bob’s Red Mill Vegi-Mix Soup Bean Mix
1/2 pound to pound of Neiman Ranch Ham Steak, diced
Salt, pepper, cayenne as desired

First sautee the onion in butter, add the celery, herbs and carrots, stir and cook for a few minutes. Add Vegetable Broth and let simmer, then add water and beans. (The bean mix will take about an hour from that point). About half way through add your ham and cover. Once the beans and peas are soft, I remove from heat and add the salt, pepper and cayenne. So much flavor is pulled out of eveything else, that it is best to do at the end.

Remove from heat and let cool for about 20 minutes before serving. Makes about 14 servings (see picture below).

Here is the nutritional breakdown, per serving (about 1-1/2 – 2 cups):