Marmie's Blackbean With Ham and Vegetable Soup.

• 2 cups ham, leftover baked ham
• 1 cup ham drippings (add slowly to taste as the juices are salty)
• 1 potato, Red medium in size diced
• 7 carrots, - Small to medium in size sliced thinly
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 3 -4 hot peppers, fresh chopped very finely (I used the seeds too)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes (I used 1 with basil, garlic and oregano and 1 can green pepper celery and onion)
• 12 cup frozen spinach, 'chopped nuggets' (about 4)
• 3 cups chicken broth (I boil my leftover roasting chickens with vegs and onions and seasonings, de bone it and freeze it i)
• 12 cup dry lentils, cleaned and rinsed (black or brown)
• 1 (28 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1. In a large soup pot pour in 1/4 cup of the ham broth, add carrot and onion, simmer for 5 minute.
2. Add everything else except the spinach, ham and canned black beans, simmer for 30 min untill carrot and lentils are tender.
3. Add 1/2 the can of Black beans to soup pot.
4. Blend with hand blender (ie: Braun) just slightly, to thicken the broth but not make soup mash.
5. Add remaining Black beans, ham and spinach and simmer another 10 min or so to heat through.
6. Add pepper to taste.
7. (though I added no spices as the canned tomatoes were spiced and the peppers offered a nice zip, as well the ham is plenty salty!
8. I served it with corn bread and it was a really simple rainy summer night kind of meal!
9. Garnish with fresh parm.
10. I hope you enjoy it as well.

ham, ham drippings, potato, carrots, white onion, peppers, tomatoes, frozen spinach, chicken broth, dry lentils, black beans

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/marmies-blackbean-with-ham-and-vegetable-soup-434327 (may not work)