Rinse and drain a can of bean and puree with some chicken stock in a food processor or blender. This will be added back into the soup as a thickener. Rinse and drain the second can of beans and set aside whole.

Coat the stock pot with olive oil and sauté the ham over medium to high heat until it begins to brown.   Remove and set aside.  

Note: If cooking bacon or pancetta, omit the added oil in the stock pot.

If needed, add a little more olive oil to to pot and sauté the onions, celery and carrots.  Sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.  

Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.   

Note:  I finely mince the garlic with the thyme and rosemary.  

Add the reserved whole beans to the stock pot and sauté the beans with the vegetables for a few minutes.  This will allow the beans to absorb all those flavors.  

Add the chicken stock, white wine, tomatoes, reserved bean puree, reserved ham, baby spinach or chopped kale, nutmeg and bay leaves.   Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmers and cook for 30-45 minutes uncovered, stir occasionally.  

Remove the Parmesan rind and bay leaves.  Taste and reseason, if needed.  

I don't like to add a lot of salt since the ham is salty and the cheese is salty.  Remember you can always add, but you can't remove it.  If using unsalted chicken stock, you will need to increase the salt in the recipe and adjust to taste.

While the soup is simmering,  cut some crusty French bread into bite size crouton pieces, toss with some olive oil and toast in a 350° oven for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Grate some Parmesan cheese and set it aside.  

When the croutons are ready, ladle some soup into your bowl, top with some croutons and sprinkle a generous amount of cheese. Drizzle a little olive oil for extra richness.    Enjoy!  

Depending on how hungry your crowd is, the recipe yields 6-8 servings.