- 1 large & 1 medium can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 large smoked ham hock or shank (or if you’re like me, grab that hambone out of the freezer that you saved from the last time you made ham! Don’t ever throw that out!)
- ½ cup cubed ham or roast pork
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 packet (or cubes) ham bouillon
- 1 packet (or cube) chicken bouillon
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 large potato peeled and chopped into cubes
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Small handful chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup frozen chopped collard greens (I love to throw a little of these into hearty soups of all kinds so keep what you don’t use in the freezer for the next soup!)
Place dash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of a thick bottomed pot. Add your garlic, onions, celery, potato, carrots and toss for 6-7 minutes over medium heat. Next add ham or pork, beans and ham hock or bone. Add 5 cups water, lemon juice, can of tomatoes, collard greens, bay leaves, salt and pepper, lime juice, and bouillons. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and let cook 1 1/2 hours or so until veggies are tender. Remove bay leaves. Remove ham hock from the pot. Top with chopped cilantro.
If you’d like – you can also top with a little chopped avocado or diced scallions!
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