Best Ham and Bean Soup

                    Delicious!!    12 servings

Sam and I grew up on ham & bean soup but this recipe is so much better. Its a great way to use up
left over ham.

1 (20 ounce) package 15 bean mixture, or 3 cups dried beans, soak overnight (I use assorted beans from food storage - small white or navy or even pinto beans- 2 cups of dried beans = 1 lb) 1 ham bone 2 1/2 cups cubed ham 1 large onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 5 large carrots, chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid 1 (12 fluid ounce) can low-sodium vegetable juice  ( V8 Juice )

3 cups vegetable broth 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon chili powder 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon dried parsley 3 tablespoons lemon juice 7 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth 1 teaspoon kosher salt  (only add salt if needed)

Directions:

1.	Remove season pkt from beans, if any. Cover beans with water- soak overnight- Rinse and drain water. Place the soaked beans into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered over low for 30 minutes. Drain again discarding water.   Remove all visible fat from ham bone. Combine beans, ham bone, ham, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, V8, Worcestershire, mustard, chili powder, bay leaves, pepper, parsley, lemon juice, and vegetable stock in stockpot. Add chicken broth to cover beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer
2.	Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 hours. Add more chicken broth as needed throughout the day. Remove the ham bone and season with salt if needed. Continue to simmer for a couple more hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.