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Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

Ham and Bean Soup – a hearty and comforting soup that is not only good for you, but filling and comforting for cold nights. 

Baked Ham is one of our favorite meals for just about any holiday, so it makes an appearance a couple times of year here. And this Ham & Bean Soup is one of the best things to use up the leftovers!

And if your ham has a bone, don’t toss it – throw it in while the soup cooks in the crock pot for the best tasting broth!

Ham and Bean Soup - a hearty and comforting soup that is not only good for you, but filling and comforting for cold nights. 

 

I made this bean soup in the crock pot, and it is so easy.  It is such a versatile soup that you can use dried or even canned beans if you like. You will just want to drain and rinse them before adding to the soup.  I used dried beans that I soaked overnight before starting the soup.

Ham & Bean Soup Ingredients

  • Beans
  • Ham
  • Onions
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Chicken Broth
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Ham Bone, optional

You have probably heard of 15 Bean Soup. If you have purchased dried beans before, you have seen the bag of 15 bean soup on the same shelf. It is just a mix of 15 different kinds of dried beans in one bag. It comes with a seasoning packet you can add to the soup as well.  All the different beans give ham and bean soup lots of great texture and flavor.

Ham and Bean Soup - a hearty and comforting soup that is not only good for you, but filling and comforting for cold nights. 

How To Make Ham and Bean Soup

  1. If you are using dried beans the night before you will want to put them in the crock pot or another container, cover them with water and let them soak overnight.
  2. In the morning drain the beans and add them back to the crock pot, along with all of the other ingredients for the soup.
  3. Stir until everything is combined and then cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours until it is hot and the beans are tender.
  4. Season with salt and pepper and then serve!

So if you are looking for a hearty soup to warm up on a cold night, this bean soup is it!  Cooks in the crock pot all day, the leftovers are great for lunch the next day, and you can even freeze the leftovers for another day later in the month.  Serve with crusty bread or the best cornbread for a complete meal.

Ham and Bean Soup -a hearty bean soup that is easy to make!

Recipe Tips

  • Don’t worry if you don’t have a ham bone, the soup will still turn out great. But if you do, don’t throw it away. Let it cook with the soup and it will give the broth a great flavor.
  • Don’t salt the soup until the end. Ham has a lot of sodium in it, and you don’t want your soup to be too salty. So after it has cooked all day, taste it and then add salt if necessary.
  • There are not a lot of spices called for in this recipe. Leftover ham is usually pretty flavorful, so they aren’t necessary. If you use a bag of 15 Beans, it comes with a seasoning packet that works great in here for even more flavor.
  • The leftovers of this soup are great, and you can even freeze it! Just let it cool and place in an air tight container and it will last for a few months in the freezer.
  • The beans you use is kind of up to you. I like to use the bag of 15 beans, because you get more flavor, taste and texture with the different beans. But really any kind of beans work. There are a lot of people who really like to use all white beans. It really doesn’t matter what you use as long as they are beans you like.
ham and bean soup in a bowl

More Great Leftover Ham Recipes

Yield: 8

Ham and Bean Soup

Ham and Bean Soup - a hearty and comforting soup that is not only good for you, but filling and comforting for cold nights. 

Ham and Bean Soup - a hearty and comforting soup that is not only good for you, but filling and comforting for cold nights. 

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 20 oz dried beans (1 bag of 15 bean soup beans)
  • 3 cups ham, chopped
  • 1 leftover ham bone, optional
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrot, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can tomato sauce, (8 oz)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Soak dried beans in the bottom of your crock pot overnight - cover with water according to the package directions.
  2. Drain the soaked beans, place back in crock pot. Add ham, ham bone, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chicken stock, and tomato sauce.  Stir until well blended. Place ham bone in center if using. 
  3. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. 
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Notes

Notes - 3 cans of beans can be used in place of dried beans. Just rinse and drain. 

You can use any dried beans you like - white beans is also a common choice

If using 15 beans, feel free to mix in the season packet at the end to serve.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 297Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 47mgSodium 1682mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 6gSugar 14gProtein 23g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Pete

Wednesday 30th of December 2020

Hey there- Recently read the red kidney beans from dry need to be boiled. Can cause intestinal issues. Just low in crock pot, from what I’ve read is not enough. I think if it’s true, it should be really be noted on 15 bean soup packaging. I really do enjoy it with leftover Christmas ham. I am by no means an authority on red kidney beans, and may be wrong. Thanks for recipe!

Suzy

Monday 16th of March 2020

The perfect soup to make when you need a big bowl of comfort food! Love how easy it is!

Cookin Canuck

Thursday 22nd of February 2018

I want to dip a spoon right into that bowl! LOVE ham and bean soups.

Meseidy Rivera

Wednesday 21st of February 2018

It so cold a dreary where I am right now. This soup would be perfect!

Carolyn

Wednesday 21st of February 2018

One of the most comforting meals EVER!

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