Ham and Bean Soup
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This Ham and Bean Soup recipe is hearty, full of flavor and packed with nutrient-rich ingredients! Its flavor is even better the next day, making it a perfect make-ahead meal and great for leftovers. And it freezes well too. It’s one of my favorite comfort food soups, especially when it’s cold outside or I’m feeling a little under the weather. This soup leaves me feeling warm, regenerated and well-nourished.
Soups and stews are among my most favorite types of meals. Whether thick and creamy or thin and brothy, I love them all. One of the things I love about them is that they’re the perfect vehicle for packing in a bunch of wholesome ingredients, including an endless variety of vegetables. And with many soups you can use whatever veggies/beans/grains/pasta you happen to have on hand. This Ham and Bean Soup recipe is a great way to use up leftovers (such as an Easter or Christmas ham) along with a variety of seasonal vegetables. This hearty soup includes protein-rich ham and beans with fiber- and nutrient-dense veggies for a one-pot complete meal. It was a family hit and even my kids asked for seconds!
Ham and Bean Soup Ingredients and Substitutions
This Ham and Bean Soup recipe calls for a handful of basic ingredients, most of which are pantry staples:
- Butter or oil
- Onion and garlic
- Carrot, celery, and kale
- Ham
- Chicken broth (check out my homemade chicken broth)
- White beans (canned or dried)
- Herbs (thyme and bay leaf)
- Salt and pepper
Bean and Veggie Substitutions
You can use whatever white beans you have on hand, whether navy, great northern, or cannellini, or use another variety altogether such as cranberry beans, pinto beans, or even use a 15-bean mix.
What about the veggies? Want to omit the kale or add some other veggies in addition? Sure thing! You can add veggies like broccoli or cauliflower and you can substitute another green like Swiss chard, beet greens, or collards.
Can I Use Dried Beans?
Yes, instead of canned beans you can substitute one pound of dried beans. Soak the beans in a bowl of water overnight and rinse and drain them the next day. Increase the cooking time by an additional hour or until the beans are tender. Then add kale as instructed.
Diced Ham Substitutions
If you don’t have diced ham you can substitute smoked ham hocks or smoked ham shanks. If it’s the end of a holiday you can use the leftover ham bone. Alternatively you can use some flavorful smoked sausage like kielbasa.
Brothy vs. Creamy
Depending on whether you prefer your soup more “brothy” or creamy, at the end of the cooking before you add in the kale, you can puree a cup or two of the soup to thicken the soup and create a creamy texture (which is how I like it best). For some extra creaminess you can also pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream at the end and heat through.
Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
This soup can also be made in the slow cooker. After sauteing the vegetables, place everything in the crock pot. Use one pound of dried beans instead of canned (ideally soaked overnight, rinsed and drained) and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or until the beans are tender. Add the kale during the last 20 minutes.
Can You Freeze Ham and Bean Soup?
Yes! Ham and Bean Soup freezes well. I like to freeze it in individual portions so I can just grab what I need. It will freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This Ham and Bean Soup tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had more time to meld. I like to make a double batch so there’s enough for leftovers. My kids never turn down a bowl of this the next day.
Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium high heat and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the celery, carrots and garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
Add the ham and the spices.
Add the beans and the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
If you prefer a brothy soup you can add the kale or whatever other veggies you want at this point and cook until the veggies are done.
If you prefer a creamier soup, remove one or two ladlefuls of veggies and puree them in a blender. Then add the puree back into the soup.
Add the kale. Let it simmer just until softened and wilted, about 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a salad or some crusty bread.
Enjoy!
For more delicious bean soups and stews from around the world try my:
- Indian Curried Lentil Soup
- Mexican Pozole Rojo
- Moroccan Harira
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- German Pea Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Indian Masoor Dal
- Polish Zurek
- Russian Solyanka
- Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Southern Sausage, Kale and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
- Kielbasa Cannellini Bean Soup
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Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1 large carrot , diced
- 2 ribs celery , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups diced ham (can also use a ham bone or smoked ham hocks)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups quality chicken broth
- 60 ounces canned white beans (4 x 15 ounce cans) , rinsed and drained (e.g., cannellini, navy, great northern) *Can substitute one pound dried beans, see note.
- 1 bunch kale , chopped (optional, can use other veggie of choice or omit entirely)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium high heat and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the celery, carrots and garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the ham, beans and spices. Add the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.If you prefer a brothy soup you can add the kale or whatever other veggies you want at this point and cook until the veggies are done.If you prefer a creamier soup, remove one or two ladlefuls of veggies and puree them in a blender. Then add the puree back into the soup.Add the kale. Let it simmer just until softened and wilted, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.Serve with a salad and/or some crusty bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 11, 2020
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hello! I’m looking forward to making this soup- it looks delicious! I have a 2.5lbs ham hock that the butcher cut in half for me- How big of a ham hock would you use with this recipe? Should I make a double recipe with this size of ham hock? If it helps, I’ll be using dry navy beans.
Hi Leslie, yes you can double the recipe with your ham hock. Happy cooking!
This is the first but certainly not the last recipe I have tried of yours. I made the soup and gave it to four people who said they loved it. Great to have on these cold New York winter days. Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Maxine, I’m so delighted they all enjoyed it, thank you very much for taking the time to leave feedback! <3
Could I add spinach at the end of cooking? Would a 9 ounce bag be too much? Thanks!
Hi Rhonda, absolutely! 9 ounces should be perfectly fine, the spinach shrinks a lot. Happy cooking! :)
I love your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing all these wonderful things with the rest of us!
Thank you so much, Emilia! <3
I used a mixture of beef broth & chicken broth & a dry bean package of various beans. I cooked it for 4hrs along w the rest of your recipe….YUM!
I made this recipe with lots of leftover ham, added the kale- it was SOO delicious!!! Even my picky 6 year old loved it 👌🏻 Freezing the rest! Thank you!
Wonderful, Brittney, I’m happy your family enjoyed it, thank you!
Thanks for this! I used celeriac in place of celery and it was delicious!
Fantastic, Jordan, thanks so much!
This is better than ham and pea soup!
I won’t argue that, David! :)
What a great tasting soup using up my Easter ham during our “stay at home”. My husband is not fond of soup, but he really enjoyed this recipe. The kale was really delicious with all the ingredients and added lots of flavor. I used dried Great Northern beans and added the ham hock for the smoked flavor. I served some flat bread cut into wedges for dipping. It made a lot of soup for just the two of us, so I decided to do some canning with the left overs to eat at a later date for a quick meal. You can’t buy this taste in a can at the grocery store! It tasted even better the next day too and I did remove the light layer of fat caused by the ham hock. This soup is a real keeper! Oh, your ingredients list is missing how much onion. I used one medium onion. Thanks for posting.
Wonderful, Brenda, I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this, thanks so much for the feedback! And thanks for catching the missing onion :)
Thank you, Kimberly! This is a very nice version…like your suggestion on pureeing the veg for a thicker version! I fortunately had plenty of home-made turkey stock in my freezer…used this for the broth. I also used some squash and bok choy since I didn’t have the greens or carrots on hand. In the past, I’ve used smoked turkey wings instead of ham…I improvise a lot, LOL!
Wonderful, Peggy, thank you! Yes, I improvise a ton as well, using whatever I have on hand – it makes for fun and creative cooking :)
I recently was making vegetarian wontons. I weighted firm tofu for a half hour, then crumbled. I mixed it with a strong version of (pretty much) a dipping sauce so it would have some flavor then added to the rest of the recipe. It worked great!!
I sort of made your soup. There were a few things not available and some other different things that were. So I went with your idea and some of my own and the result was hearty and filling. Thankyou for the idea. It was lovely. :))
Wonderful, Mary, I’m glad were able to use what you had on hand to create a delicious soup!