A Thicker Bean Soup

I am probably the world's biggest fan of bean soup, except, of course, for the baby. Both of us really like Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup.
She is really crazy about it but I like a little bit more complex flavor in my bean soup. I have tried regular bean soup with her before but she wasn't too crazy about it. I think the texture is what is appealing about Campbell's Bean with Bacon. I decided to give it a try. The secret is taking 2 cups of the soup and pureeing it in the blender at the end of cooking. It thickens the soup up a bit and gives it the Campbell's texture

Thicker Bean Soup

8 oz dried Navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
ham chunks
1 onion, diced
1 quart chicken broth

Boil the above ingredients in a covered Dutch oven for a couple hours, until the beans are soft.

Then Add:
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 small can of tomato paste
3 whole peeled tomatoes, either fresh or canned
2 bay leaves
1 t thyme leaves
1 t pepper
salt to taste

Cook for about 20 more minutes until the vegies are just softening. Remove 2 cups of the soup from the pot, trying to get mostly the solid stuff. Puree the 2 cups and return to the pot. Cook for a couple more minutes and the soup will thicken up.