Rinse the 16 oz bean soup mix thoroughly under cold water, then soak overnight in a large pot covered with water. The next day, drain the beans and add 12 cups of fresh water to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour—this pre-cooks the beans so they'll be tender by the time everything comes together. While the beans cook, prepare all your vegetables: dice the yellow onion, peel and slice the carrots into 1/4-inch rounds, mince the 4 garlic cloves, dice the green bell pepper, slice the 2 celery stalks, cut the 4 oz smoked ham into 1/2-inch cubes, and tear the kale into 2-inch pieces after removing the tough stems. I like to have everything prepped and ready before I start sautéing—it makes the cooking process smooth and allows me to focus on building flavor.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, diced bell pepper, and sliced celery—these are your aromatic foundation—and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften and release their flavors. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. This technique of sautéing vegetables before adding them to the soup ensures they develop deeper, more complex flavors rather than tasting raw or watery.

Add the cubed smoked ham to the vegetable mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, to release the ham's savory flavors into the vegetables. Pour in the 2/3 cup tomato sauce and stir well to combine, allowing the tomato to coat the vegetables and ham. Cook for another 2-3 minutes so the tomato sauce integrates with the other ingredients and the raw tomato flavor mellows slightly.

By now your beans should have finished their 1-hour cook and be mostly tender. Add the entire vegetable-ham-tomato mixture from the skillet to the bean pot. Stir in the 2 sprigs rosemary, 1 bay leaf, and 3 sprigs thyme, plus the 1/2 tsp cumin, 3.5 tsp salt, and 1.5 tsp black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover partially. Cook for 1 hour—this allows the beans to fully soften and all the flavors to marry together into a cohesive, deeply flavored broth.

Uncover the soup and increase the heat to a gentle boil. Let it boil for 15 minutes—this concentrates the broth and thickens the soup slightly as liquid evaporates. Add the torn kale and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the kale is tender and has absorbed some of the broth's flavors. The bitter notes of the kale will balance beautifully with the rich, savory broth.

Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Chop the 2 green onions and 1/4 cup cilantro and stir them in just before serving—I always add fresh herbs at the very end to preserve their bright, vibrant flavor. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf before ladling into bowls.