Ingredients

40 oz 15 bean blend picked over and rinsed
2 medium onion diced
12 cloves garlic minced
8 carrots sliced into rounds (approx. 2 cups)
8 stalks celery chopped (approx. 1 cup)
2 smoked ham bone
2 tsp cracked pepper coarsely ground
4 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
0.5 cup soy sauce
12 cups chicken stock
29 oz can diced tomatoes

Instructions

Add beans to a large bowl or pot, and cover with 8 cups of water. Leave overnight. Discard the soaking water.
Combine onion, garlic, carrots, celery, black pepper, thyme, bay leaf, soy sauce, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in slow cooker. Add the hambone in too.
Add beans to slow cooker, mix well, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Remove ham bone and bay leaves from soup, discard.
Devour.
Notes
Can this crock pot soup be frozen after cooking? Absolutely. It does exceptionally well when stored correctly. I portion it into pints, and freeze for up to 6 months. Whatever you are using - make sure to leave a little room at the top as things expand when frozen! To eat - just thaw in the refrigerator and then cook in the microwave until piping hot. Alternatively, you can store in zipper bags, and lay it flat in the freezer! It takes a lot less time to thaw, but you will need to then transfer to a saucepan for stove-top reheating, or a microwave safe bowl.

SOUP