White Bean and Ham Soup

"When the weather turns cold, and all youÂwant to do is stay cozy and warm, the best thing to do is to make a big pot of hearty soup. On days like these, nothingÂis more comforting than this ham and white bean soup. (Well, maybe some fuzzy woolen slippers, but you can’t eat those!) It’s one of my favorite recipes on the website, and one that my father has been making for the family for decades. He makes a big batch (doubles this one) and because it just gets betterÂas the days go by, we’ll enjoy it for dinner one night and then for lunch for several days afterwards. Why is it that some stews and soups improve the next day? I think it’s because the flavors from the beans, ham, and vegetables have time to blend. The starch from the beans settles more into the broth making the soup thicker and more stew-like too. Updated from the recipe archive. First posted in 2006. Only change on the update is to sauté the onions before adding them to the soup...."