Cacio e Pepe Ham and White Bean Soup

Cacio e Pepe Ham and White Bean Soup

adapted from Food & Wine

This soups takes a but of time but it is well worth the effort. Always save your cheese rinds and ham bones in your freezer for just such occassions as this. 

My husband cuts up my ham bones with a santized saw. No ham bone use ham hocks and chop a few ounces of a ham steak.

Need to save a little time, replace the dried, cooked beans with a 15 oz. can of cannellini beans.

Makes 3 servings                                                                5 WW pts / serving

Cooking spray
2/3 yellow onions, chopped divided
1 1/3 large celery stalks, chopped, divided
1 1/3 carrots (about 1/3 pound), peeled, chopped, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled, 2 smashed and 2 chopped, divided
1/3 (2/3-1 lb.) smoked ham bone, preferably with meat
2 2/3 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds or pecorino Romano cheese rinds 
3 thyme sprigs
4 cups water, plus more if soup is getting too thick
1 tsp.coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for serving
1/3 cup dried cannellini beans or other dried white beans, soaked overnight, drained
1/3 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded, plus more for serving

Kosher salt

1. To a pot coated with cooking spray add half of the onion, celery, carrot and smashed garlic cloves;  Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. 
2. Add ham bone, cheese rinds, thyme sprigs, and water; bring to a boil over high. 
3. Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally until broth is cloudy and tastes strongly like Parmesan and ham, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer set over a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing vegetables and cheese rinds to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. 
5. Reserve ham bone. Wipe pot clean.
6. Coat the pot with cooking spray; Add the remaining chopped vegetables and pepper.
7. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables start to soften,  about 5 minutes. 
8. Stir in the minced garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Add ham bone, drained beans, and strained broth; bring to a boil over high. 
10. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are creamy and tender and ham meat easily pulls away from bone, 2 hours; Add a little water if the soup is getting too thick.
11. Transfer 1/3 cup of soup to the bowl of a mini food processor, removing any ham pieces, process until smooth; Stir mashed soup back into pot.
12. Remove ham bone from soup, and shred meat (about 1/3 cup); Return meat to soup, and discard bone. Add cheese and stir until melted; Season to taste with salt. 
13. Ladle soup into individual bowls; Sprinkle with additional black pepper and cheese.

Enjoy!