Ham and Bean Soup with Corn Dog Muffins

When I was a kid, my mom made ham and beans and cornbread in the fall. A lot. So often, that I have to admit, I was sick of it. But last week, with leftover smoked pork loin in the fridge and the temperatures dropping, I craved the elements of this comfort food from my youth. I took my mom's tried and true recipe and went in another direction, creating this soup from ingredients in my fridge and pantry. I also veered away from the traditional cornbread and made a kid friendly version. Rather than a loaf of plain old cornbread, I went with corn dog muffins...individual serving sizes featuring chopped hot dogs and whole kernels of corn in every bite. This meal completely hit the spot and the leftovers were even better the next day!

No play by play this week on the construction of each recipe. My husband borrowed my camera for work and luckily returned home just as dinner was ready so that I could snap a few pictures of the finished product.



My Ham and Bean Soup

2 cups fully cooked ham or smoked pork loin, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (spicy)
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley for garnish

In a soup pot saute the ham, onion, and garlic until the onion is tender. Add the next seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and boil another 20 minutes. (I did this to reduce some of the liquid. I wanted it just a little less "soupy"). Serve topped with parsley.


I found the recipe for these corn dog muffins in the "Cooking with 5 Ingredients" cookbook. After my 5 ingredient challenge, I am lovin' that cookbook! If your kids don't eat the soup, they will eat these! I enjoyed them too...with my soup and then again as a midnight snack. I warmed em' up and topped with ketchup and mustard, just like a real corn dog.



Broken apart, just to show you the yummy inside.



I cut this recipe in half. It still made 11 muffins. Plenty for dinner and leftovers for the next day too. You know, if you're anti-hotdog, you could use the leftover ham in these too.

Kid's Corn Dog Muffins from "Cooking with 5 Ingredients"

2 boxes corn bread muffin mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 8 oz. can whole kernel corn (I used frozen corn, thawed)
5 hot dogs, chopped

1. In a bowl, combine cornbread mix and brown sugar. Combine eggs and milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Stir in corn and hot dogs.
2. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. (I used muffin papers. Don't forget to spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Mine stuck to the papers.)Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes until golden brown.