Pinto Bean Soup

This hearty and humble pinto bean soup is so flavorful. It has silky beans, ham hock, sausage, jalapeno, and spices that will make everyone happy.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword bean soup recipes, ham hock recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 45

Servings cups

Calories 684kcal

Author Kathleen

Equipment

Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot

Ingredients

1 pound dry pinto beans
water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups onion, small chop
2 carrots diced
2 large stalks celery diced
1 medium jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed and minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
4 (about 3 pounds) ham hocks,
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 dried bay leaves
20 ounces smoked sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional and added only if needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spread dried pinto beans (1 pound) out in a flat layer and remove then discard split, broken, discolored beans, or small rocks. Place beans in a colander and rinse well. Transfer beans to a large bowl, and cover beans by 2 inches with water. Soak overnight.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion (1 1/2 cups), carrot, celery, and jalapeño, sautéing and stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 7-9 minutes.
Sit in 1/4 cup garlic and continue to sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about a minute or more.
Score a large X on ham hocks (4). Nestle them into vegetables. Pour 8 cups of water over the ham hocks and vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat immediately, and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour.
Add drained beans, Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon), and bay leaves (2) to ham hocks and broth. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and continue to simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours.
When the beans are about done, brown the sliced sausage (20 ounces), over medium heat, in a skillet on both sides. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and dab off excess fat. Transfer sausage to soup pot.
Remove the ham hocks and cut off the meat, being careful to check for small bone fragments. Discard bones. Return ham meat to soup pot. Remove and discard bay leaves.
Using a potato masher, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot until you reach the desired thickness of the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Ladle soup into individual bowls and serve!

Notes

Let the ham hocks do the work. That first hour with just the ham hocks, aromatics, and water is where the magic starts. You’re essentially building a smoky ham stock right in your soup pot, which is the foundation of all that flavor.
Brown the sausage separately. It’s tempting to toss everything into one pot, but taking a few minutes to brown the sausage in a skillet gives you those crisp, caramelized edges and a deeper, meatier taste in every bite.
Mash for body, not all the way. Mashing a portion of the beans right in the pot is an easy way to thicken the soup without adding cream. Just go slowly—you want a mix of creamy broth and whole, tender beans for the best texture.
Be patient with the salt. Because ham hocks, sausage, and Cajun seasoning all contain salt, it’s very easy to overdo it. Always wait until the beans are fully tender and the flavors have concentrated before you add any extra salt. Taste first, then season gently.
Don’t skip the toppings. A handful of chopped white onion, slices of avocado, fresh cilantro, and a splash of hot sauce on top of each bowl brighten the rich, smoky soup and give you a lovely contrast of fresh and hearty.

Nutrition