Hearty Ham and Bean Soup

When the weather turns cool, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a warm bowl of soup. Of course, there’s no reason to limit soup to just the cold months, I enjoy this wonderful bean soup all year. I typically serve it with some homemade cornbread, but it’s also wonderful with a slice of fresh bread, straight out of the oven (or bread maker).

Print Recipe

Hearty Ham and Bean Soup

This hearty ham and bean soup is the ultimate in comfort food. Serve with cornbread or a country style loaf of crusty bread for a delicious and satisfying meal.

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry Great Northern beans
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 ham bone
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped ham
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste

Servings Ingredients 1 pound dry Great Northern beans 8 cups chicken broth 1 ham bone 2 carrots, chopped 1/2 stalk celery, chopped 1/2 large onion, chopped 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp ground mustard 2 bay leaves 2 cups chopped ham 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Sort the beans removing any debris or broken/discolored beans. Rinse the beans in cold water. Place the rinsed beans in a large bowl, add enough water to cover the beans, then place a cover over the bowl. Let the beans soak overnight. When you're ready to make the soup, drain the beans and add them to a soup pot or large Dutch oven.
2. To the pot with the beans, add the chicken broth, ham bone, chopped carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic as well as the ground mustard and bay leaves; stir. Over high heat, bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until the beans are tender.
3. Remove the ham bone and bay leaves; discard. Add the chopped ham and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Stir in the ground white pepper. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Variations:

Use cannelloni beans, navy beans, black beans, or a combination of beans.

 

This recipe can easily be adapted for a slow cooker. After soaking the beans, drain and add to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients; stir to combine. Cook on low for approximately 10 hours or until the beans are tender.