Campbell's Bacon and Bean Soup

I am off to Orlando tomorrow for a conference and will not be back until Wednesday. Just so David does not starve the next couple of days, I made a pot of "Campbell's" bacon and bean soup. This recipe is from http://www.recipegoldmine.com/. Like a lot of my cooking, I modified the recipe slightly. The soup tends to be thick so I used more water than what the recipe calls for and threw in a ham hock as the soup was simmering. The ham hock gives the soup much more flavor, but beware and do not over salt as the ham hock is naturally salty.

Campbell's Bacon and Bean Soup

2 C. navy beans
6 slices of bacon
3 small to medium carrots diced
3 medium celery stalks, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp dry thyme
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 oz tomato paste
dash of dried red pepper flakes
6 to 8 C . water
1 ham hock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight. Rinse and discard the water. Fry the bacon to a crisp, drain and crumble into small pieces. Saute the carrots, celery, and onions with the garlic until soften. Add the red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and beans. Stir well. Add the water and ham hock. Bring to boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Original recipe says to puree 1 to 2 cups of soup and return it to the pot after simmering. I find the soup to be plenty thick so I do not puree any of the soup.