A best ever recipe for Ham and Bean Soup! An all-time favourite recipe for leftover ham, so hearty and delicious.
Leftovers have to be the best thing about baking a delicious ham, because now you can make a savoury soup! Ham and Bean soup is awesome for lunch, yet so hearty if makes a great dish for dinner.
The challenge I have with blogging a soup recipe is that I never seem to make it the same way twice and I usually do not measure anything. It's always just a little of this and that and what ever I have on hand. I didn't have any split peas to make split pea soup, but I did have navy beans. I actually prefer beans as they are firmer and don't get mushy. While making this recipe I did measure everything so I could pass on this awesome recipe, but some great adaptations could be a variety of vegetables and beans, or different herbs and spices. Experiment!
Ham and Bean Soup
An exceptional recipe for Ham and Bean soup. Family favourite!
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone I leave meat on the bone while it cooks
- 4 cups leftover ham
- 2 cups dry navy beans
- 2 cups celery chopped
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dry
- ¼ cup fresh parsley or 1 tbsp. dry
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 8-9 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for sautéing vegetables
Instructions
- Prepare dried beans by soaking them in cold water for 8-10 hours, then drain and rinse. (I do this the night before).
- In large pan heat oil and sauté celery, carrots, onions and garlic until tender.
- Add chicken stock, ham bone and ham. Transfer to larger pot if necessary.
- Add beans, parsley, thyme and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 2-3 hours.
- Chop up large pieces of ham before serving
Notes
This recipe also work well in a slow cooker 6-8 hours on low.
Nutrition
Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 26gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 976mgPotassium: 1017mgFiber: 11gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4520IUVitamin C: 6.3mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 3.5mg
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I love soup and here are more of my favorite soup recipes to try!
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Stephanie
Really good. Served with a toasted chibatta bun, very filling. I soaked and cooked my beans first, as I often do not have success with soft beans when the soup should be done. but that is usually just me being impatient.
Laureen King
Wonderful Stephanie, so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Jeri
Best green bean soup I've ever had
Lynn O’Brien
Was very yummy! Will make again! 🍲
Laureen King
Thank you so much Lynn.
Erin
Our whole family has loved this soup for years! We make double and triple batches to freeze. We've also varied it a few ways. Often we'll puree a small amount of the soup in a blender, then add it back into the pot for a thicker version. Recently we have used an Heirloom Bean Blend and added a splash or two of Oyster Sauce at the end of cooking, which makes it a rich, calico bean type of soup. This is such a great recipe as it is - or to play around with!
Laureen King
Erin, thank you for trying my recipe. I love when we can take a recipe and add our own twist to it.
Sandy
Why do we need to add broth if we’ve slow boiled the ham hock in water?
Laureen King
Sand, I find it add that extra bit of flavor.
Pam
This soup was fabulous! I added 2 bay leaves. Didn’t have time to soak beans so I used canned great northern beans. So delicious! Cooked for 2hours.
Laureen King
Thank you Pam. Canned beans work great don't they, when you don't have time to soak beans.
Cynthia
Didnt change a thing except to thicken it a bit a sprinkled in instant mashed potato flakes; maybe 1/3 cup.
Rose
I used dried beans for years and I just switched to canned beans. I think that the soup has better flavor and takes much less time to prepare. Wish I would have discovered this years ago when my life was so much busier.
Laureen King
For sure Rose, canned beans work great for a quicker version.
Karen Matevish
I plan on using my slow cooker to make this soup. Do I still soak the beans overnight before adding to the cooker, or will the 6-8 hrs on low be sufficient to soften them. I would hate to end up with mushy beans!
Laureen King
yes, I would still soak the beans Karen.
Penny
Personally, I have made this soup several times; once in the slow cooker. The beans were a bit mushy in the slow cooker. I have better control when making on the stove top. Stick to the recipe as written. Just my two cents.
Penny
We just had this for lunch today! One of my favorite soups. I have been using the dried beans too and I freeze most of the soup to have during the winter. I wonder how the canned beans would be after freezing? Would they be too mushy?
Mary
First time to make. Cooked in my crockpot on low for 6 hours. I added bacon bits and left my veggies chunky. Did not pre-cook them. Came out super great. Will certainly make again. Thank you
Jackie Jesse
I used your recipe and added two bay leaves plus used the immersion blender on about four cups of the soup. It is a recipe that I have added to my own recipe favorites. This recipe will become a staple in my dinners future!
I’ve taken photos just haven’t been able to attach here!
Thank you!!
Laurie
This is the best ham and bean soup I have tried. I’ve made it many times and always receive praises. One thing I do differently is add a can of diced tomatoes. We really enjoy that extra little pop of flavor.
I have to admit something...the only reason I buy bone-in ham is so I can make this recipe - it’s THAT good! Thank y’all for a super-great recipe.
Laureen King
Thank you Laurie, I also make a bone-in ham just to have leftovers for this soup!
Sheila
Can you still make without bone in ham? Maybe add a ham hock?
Laureen King
Yes it will work without a bone in ham. The bone just adds extra flavor.
Nicole
My family enjoyed this recipe immensely. I'm making it again just a few weeks after the last time I made it because I was craving it. The only change i make is to put it into my instant pot to cook. 25 minutes later, it's done. Thank you for a deliciously easy recipe.
Laureen King
Thank you Nicole for taking the time to drop me a comment and rate my recipe!
Brenda George
Did you use dry beans? do you need to soak them first? I'm going make this in my IP.
Laureen King
Yes Brenda, I used dry beans and soaked them overnight.
Tami
Im going to do the slow cooker version. Do I need to fry up the veggies and garlic, or just add everything? It seems like they should soften in the ceock pot for 8 hours.
Nicole
Brenda, I used dry beans like the recipe calls for. I tried both soaking for about 5 hours and not soaking and noticed a very slight difference in texture. I think I preferred the soaked bean version but both were good.
Maryhelen
I am a soup lover and this soup recipe is definitely a keeper 😋 I also used canned beans, it was delicious. My husband and I both had a second helping and he's not a soup lover.
THANKS for the recipe
I'm now going to follow you 👍
Laureen King
Thank you, thanks for following my blog. I hope you find more recipes to try!
Shelley
Sooooo good!!! I didn’t have carrots, followed the recipe otherwise. Will make this again. So much flavor!!
Marian
We buy a bone-in ham every winter so we have ham for this soup. It’s one of our very favorite soups and I don’t tweak the recipe at all. I soak the dry beans overnight and let it simmer on stove for 3 hours. The broth is absolutely delicious!!
Thanks for such a wonderfully perfect soup recipe!! ♥️
Susan McDonald
Can I use my left over ham, for this recipe ,unfortunately I don't have the bone?
Laureen King
yes left over ham without the bone will work. The bone just adds more flavor
Teresa
Sounds great - I’ll be trying it out this week. Think I could use it with dried black-eyed peas for New Year’s?
Susan Hoover
We both agree that this is the best soup we’ve made. And we make a lot of soups in the fall and winter. We made it in the morning, let it simmer for 3 hours, and by supper time it was delicious.
Deborah Johnson
Excellent soup recipe. I used canned navy beans (drained and rinsed) instead of the dry which I added to the soup the last hour of simmering. Thanks for posting, I’m glad I made it?
Deborah Johnson
Oops, the last sentence on my previous comment should have ended with an explanation point NOT a question mark.
Janice Carter
Your Ham and Bean soup recipe looks delicious! I'm having my children and their spouses over for this meal and my question is how many will this recipe feed and secondly, what's the delicious looking bread in your photos?
Thanks for the recipe! I don't usually use a recipe for this, but this meal is special having all three of my children home to feed, A mama's dream!
Laureen King
Hi Janice, it really does depend on portion size, but I would say 8 should be a good number. The bread is just a simple oven baked garlic bread. Enjoy the time with your family, very special!
Cynthia Trowbridge
Just got the soup in the crockpot and
no room to spare.Well let you know how it came out, looks good.
Regina L Kamilar
I like this soup. I used butter beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and canilli beans. The different beans made this soup even better.