Ham & Navy Bean Soup

My grandma used to make a soup kind of like this, so I made up my own version this past weekend.

Recipe
6-8 C chicken broth
5 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed (leave 2 cans whole, then mash 3 cans)
1/2 lb cooked ham, cubed
1 C carrots, cut into half moons
1 C celery, diced
1 small onion, diced (~3/4 C)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium high heat.  Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until slightly soft.  Add garlic and saute for about one minute.  Add the beans, ham, bay leaf, pepper and 6 C of chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.  After 30 minutes, add additional chicken broth until you reach your desired consistency.  If possible, refrigerate for at least 1/2 day before serving to let the flavors combine.

Comments
 - I ended up using almost all 8 C of chicken broth
 - If you'd rather not mash the beans by hand, you can just add them whole to the soup and use an immersion blender to puree the soup a little bit
 - I ended up refrigerating this for almost 24 hours before serving - well worth the wait!

Rating
4/5

WW PointsPlus
9 (for 1 1/2 C serving)