Ham and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. fully cooked ham (leftovers from a spiral ham works great)
• 8 cups water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed in 1-inch pieces
• 1-15.5 ounces can black beans, rinsed and drained
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Instructions

1. Place ham in a large soup pot and add 8 cups of water to make stock. Bring the water to boil and then to a low simmer for 2 hours. Turn the heat off and place a lid on the pot. Allow the stock to rest overnight.
2. The next morning, remove any top layer of fat. Remove the ham from the stock and chop and shred the meat in 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer the ham back to the pot.
3. Heat the stock pot on medium-high heat.
4. While the pot is heating, heat the oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
5. Add the onions mixture, sweet potato, and black beans to the stock pot.
6. Allow the soup to come to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup for 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
7. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach leaves. Stir the soup with a long wooden spoon for 10 seconds until the spinach is wilted.
9. Serve immediately.