Navy Bean And Ham Hock Soup

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 12 cups water, divided
• 2 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks
• 1 (32 ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth (such as Swanson(R) Natural Goodness(R))
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup mashed potato flakes

1. Rinse and sort the navy beans. Place in a Dutch oven with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, until beans are softened, about 5 hours.
2. Drain the navy beans and discard the soaking liquid. Rinse beans and return to the Dutch oven. Add ham hocks, chicken broth, 4 cups water, onion, parsley, garlic powder, basil, black pepper, oregano, nutmeg, and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Mix carrots, celery, and potato flakes into the soup until well combined. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.
4. Take ham hocks from the pot and place on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to the pot and warm through over medium heat, about 3 minutes.

beans, water, ham hocks, chicken broth, onion, fresh italian parsley, garlic, basil, ground black pepper, oregano, ground nutmeg, bay leaves, carrots, celery

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261932/navy-bean-and-ham-hock-soup/ (may not work)