My ham and bean soup is full of hearty, creamy white beans with just a hint of fresh thyme and tender chunks of everyone’s favorite smoky, salty piece of pork. Soup’s on with my easy-but-exceptional soup!
We love this soup in our house. It’s hearty, comforting, and perfect to take off the chill of a blustering day. This soup is one of my go-to recipes when I have leftover ham, particularly if there’s a lonely ham bone calling my name. There’s so much natural flavor in ham since it’s cured with lots of different seasonings, and making this soup with a ham bone really ups the flavor game here.
Don’t miss my creamy ham salad and ham tetrazzini! If you’re looking for more ways to use up leftover ham, be sure to check out my full collection of Leftover Ham Recipes for even more easy ideas.
BEST BEANS FOR HAM AND BEAN SOUP
I prefer to use dried beans to make this soup. Don’t use canned beans, they just don’t absorb the ham flavor like dried beans will. There are four major types of white beans, and you can use any of them for this soup: great northern, cannellini, baby limas, and navy (also called “pea beans”). I like navy beans (yes, they got their name from being used as a military staple), the best because the beans will break down a little more and they’re the smallest and creamiest of the four.
If you use great northern beans or cannelinis, both of them are bigger and the beans will hold their shape better. These two go well with the smoky, salty qualities of the ham, but the soup itself will be a little thinner and the beans may take a little longer to cook.
WHY USE A HAM BONE
The ham bone enriches the soup and helps infuse it with tons of ham flavor you just won’t get from tossing in chunks of cooked ham. The beans work like little sponges to absorb all the flavor. If you don’t have a ham bone, you can use ham hocks. They’re generally available at most supermarkets, often in the freezer section. Just ask the butcher.
If you’ve ever made homemade beef or chicken stock, you know nothing creates a rich stock like meat that’s still clinging to bones. The collagen released from the bones during the cooking process becomes gelatin. This is why some broths, like those for ramen or the bone-broth craze, are thick and viscous and why homemade stocks often come out of the fridge looking like a savory chunk of Jello.
HAM AND BEAN SOUP INGREDIENTS
- White Beans
- Water
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Salt
- Cajun Seasoning
- Black Pepper
- Bay Leaves
- Ham Bone or Ham Hocks
- Thyme
- Cooked Ham
RECIPE NOTES
- Quick soak method – If you forget to soak your beans overnight, fear not. Just put your beans in a big pot, cover with a couple of inches of water, then bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, then turn off the stove, cover the pot, and let the beans sit for an hour. Rinse the beans off with warm water and they’re ready to use! If you do use this method, make sure you use warm water for the cooking step, too since pouring cold water over warm beans can make the skins start to fall off and break down the beans before the cooking process even starts.
- Aromatics – Be sure to saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. The flavors in raw vegetables are very different from the flavors in cooked vegetables.
- Water – By the way, don’t be shy about adding a little extra water if the soup thickens too much. Leftovers in particular will need to be thinned out during reheating.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This will last in the fridge for up to four days.
- Can You Freeze This? This soup freezes beautifully! Allow it to cool completely and put it in freezer containers. It will keep up to six months. To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop!
- Make-Ahead Tips: The flavor in this soup only gets better over time! Making it a day or two ahead and letting it sit in the fridge is a great way to have an easy meal ready and boost all those hard-earned flavors.
HOW TO MAKE HAM AND BEAN SOUP ON THE STOVETOP
- Rinse beans, check for stones, and soak beans.
- Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent.
- Add water, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and ham bone then simmer for 1 hour.
- Add beans and fresh thyme then simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the ham bone/ham hocks, remove meat, and add to pot.
- Stir in the cubed ham and heat through.
- Remove bay leaves and serve.
***See full instructions on the recipe card below
HOW TO MAKE IN THE SLOW COOKER
- Rinse beans, check for stones, and soak beans.
- Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent.
- Transfer vegetables to a slow cooker. Cook the soup on low for about 8 hours or high for 4-6 hours or until the beans are tender, retrieving the ham bone/hocks at around the 7-hour mark. Remove any ham and incorporate it back into the soup.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in the cubed ham and fresh thyme. Continue to cook on high until the ham is heated through, about 30 minutes.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
I like to serve this with a side of homemade baked goods. We like this hearty soup with Bisquick biscuits, my no-knead bread recipe, beer bread, or southern cornbread.
MORE HEARTY SOUPS YOU’LL LOVE
- Black Eyed Pea Soup
- Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Busy Day Soup
- Beer Cheese Soup
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Pinto Bean Soup
TRIED THIS RECIPE?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried white beans
- 6-8 cups water for soaking
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, 1/4 inch diced
- 4 stalks celery, 1/4 inch diced
- 8 cups cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large ham bone or 2 ham hocks
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pound cooked ham cut into 1/2 cubes
Instructions
- Rinse the white beans (1 pound) then lay them out on a flat surface and pick through, removing any rocks. Place in a large bowl and cover with 6-8 cups of cold water. Allow to stand for 6-8 hours or overnight, or use the quick soak method (directions above in Notes). Drain water and rinse.
- In a heavy-bottomed soup pot melt the butter (2 tablespoons). Add the onion (1 large), garlic (2 cloves), carrots (4), and celery (4 stalks) and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add 8 cups water, salt (1/2 teaspoon), Cajun seasoning (2 teaspoons), pepper (1 1/2 teaspoons), bay leaves (2), and ham bone or ham hocks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour.
- Add drained beans and thyme leaves (2 teaspoons) and return to a simmer. Continue to cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat.
- Remove the ham bone/ham hocks to a cutting board. When ham bone/ham hocks are cool enough to handle, remove any meat. Discard any skin and bones.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in cubed ham (1 pound) and any ham from ham bone/ham hocks. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve.
Notes
- Quick soak method – If you forget to soak your beans overnight, fear not. Just put your beans in a big pot, cover with a couple of inches of water, then bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, then turn off the stove, cover the pot, and let the beans sit for an hour. Rinse the beans off with warm water and they’re ready to use! If you do use this method, make sure you use warm water for the cooking step, too since pouring cold water over warm beans can make the skins start to fall off and break down the beans before the cooking process even starts.
- Aromatics – Be sure to saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. The flavors in raw vegetables are very different from the flavors in cooked vegetables.
- Water – By the way, don’t be shy about adding a little extra water if the soup thickens too much. Leftovers in particular will need to be thinned out during reheating.
Made this a couple weeks ago and used smoked sausage. It was amazing! I’ve never used the 15 bean soup bag before, but certainly will continue to make this wonderful soup! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Linda! I’m so happy you liked this soup. 🙂
This pot of beans is awesome, Ya’ll got to try this. Although I usually double the recipe because it’s so yummy!
Patrick, I’m so happy to hear your feedback! I truly feel the same way! This is a HUGE favorite in my house!!! <3
I LOVE beans and ham. I am always buying smoked pork hocks or turkey necks at the grocery store to make soups like this. They are just so comforting and delicious! I can’t imagine anything better for a cold day. And the jalapeno cornbread is the perfect complement!
I’ve never prepared a soup with ham and bean before, so I must say I’m really curious to see what it tastes like. I bet it’s delicious!
I hope you give it a try Sean. We love it1