If you've ever wondered what to do with a leftover ham bone or those ham hocks you see in the grocery store, then boy do we have a satisfying soup for you. Ham and bean soup is smoky, kinda creamy, and super filling. It's the perfect soup to simmer on a chilly evening. In fact, we'd go as far as to say ham and bean soup isn't so much a soup as it is a bowl full of love.
Classic Ham and Bean Soup
So here's the deal with this soup. We're giving you this ham and bean soup recipe with all the best ingredients (like dried beans), but you can save time and effort by using canned beans instead. Either way, it's going to taste great. This makes 6-8 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of dried navy beans (or great northern beans)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 small celery stalk, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 ham bone or ham hock
- 2 cups diced ham
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spread the beans out on a baking sheet and pick them over, removing any small stones or broken or discolored beans.
- Put the beans in a colander and rinse them under running water until the water runs clear.
- Put the beans in a pot and cover them with water. Put the pot on the stove on medium-high. Bring to a boil, and boil for two minutes.
- Cover the beans tightly, remove them from the heat, and let them rest for one hour.
- Discard the water and rinse the beans again before using them in the recipe.
- In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly cook the vegetables until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable or chicken stock, the ham bone or ham hock, and the diced ham.
- Add the prepared beans to the soup.
- Simmer for 60 minutes.
- Remove the ham bone.
- If you are using a ham hock, remove it from the soup and remove the meat from the bone. Add the meat from the bone to the soup.
- If you want a creamier soup, you can mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon and stir it into the soup.
- Taste for salt and pepper.
- Test the beans for doneness by tasting some of them. They should be very soft to the tooth.
Ham & Bean Soup — The Quick Version
Don't have hours to pick over, boil, and rest beans? We have a quick version of this soup we know you'll love. This makes 6-8 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 small celery stalk, chopped
- 3 cups diced ham
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 (15.5 ounces) cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ham and cook for another minute.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock and use the side of the spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beans. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tips for a Successful Soup
You can make a good ham and bean soup using just cubes of ham alone, but to get the best flavor we love using a ham bone. If you don't happen to have a ham bone lying around (I always freeze our ham bones after we've eaten a bone-in ham), check with your butcher.
This soup is a great way to use up leftover ham. Typically, I freeze some ham along with our hambones (because a whole ham is a lot!), so we're always ready to go on the soup front.
A Bowl Full of Yum
On busy weekdays, we're all about cooking once to eat twice. And these ham and bean soup recipes make enough that you can definitely double up on meals without a night's worth of extra effort. We know you'll love this cozy soup — it's the perfect way to tell your family you love them.
