Step 1

Add 4 medium carrots, 4 ribs celery, 1 large yellow onion, 2 quarts chicken broth, 1 leftover ham bone, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2-4 cloves garlic, and 2 bay leaves to your slow cooker and cook on low at least 4 hours.

Step 2

Remove bay leaf along with any fat you don't want to eat (see note below). Transfer ham bone to a cutting board and cut off any pieces of meat, chop them small, and add them back to the soup.

Step 3

Just before serving, add drained 31 ounces great northern beans to the soup, stir to combine, and serve when the beans have heated through.

Step 4

Optional: If preferred, you can blend part or all of the soup. To do this, do not add the ham pieces back to the soup until it has been blended. Then, either use an immersion blender to partially blend. Alternatively, you can transfer half of the soup to a blender, blend it, and then combine it with the rest of the soup. Add the ham back in before serving.