• dice onion, carrot, and celery to medium dice
• if you are using a ham steak, cut to desired bite sized pieces
• pull the thyme leaves from the stems
• rough chop the fresh sage
• place the mesh strainer over a bowl, open the can of beans and strain the liquid off
• rinse the beans in the strainer under cold water until the water clear
• place the stock pot on a burner to heat
• when heated, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, and celery
• sauté the vegetables for a few minutes, then add the ham bone or ham chunks
• after cooking for another few minutes add the bay leaves and the herbs
• season to taste with salt and black pepper
• add the water
• add the Better than Bouillon, white beans, and the parmesan cheese rind or parmesan cheese
• mix with a cooking spoon, making sure the bouillon dissolves
• bring mixture to a simmer for 45 minutes

Thickening and Finishing

• carefully remove the ham bone from the pot, place on a cutting board
• using kitchen tongs being careful not to burn yourself remove the ham from the bone
• cut the removed ham into bite sized pieces and add back to the soup
• in a small bowl combine the corn starch and cold water until smooth (you can add a bit more cold water if needed)
• bring the soup to a boil, then add the corn starch mixture while stirring, the full thickening might take a few minutes at a rapid boil
• once thickened reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cream
• stir to combine, adjust salt and pepper to taste (keep in mind that the ham can add salt as it sits in the soup)
• garnish the finished soup with grated fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!