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Hearty Ham and Bean Soup

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Ham and Bean SoupI always save my ham bone whenever I bake a ham. Whether it’s Easter of Christmas, I know the bone will make fabulous soup.

Especially when it’s cold, you need something hot, steaming, and satisfying like a large bowl of this heavenly soup. It’s rich and  flavorful and full of meaty ham, beans, and lovely winter veggies like cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. It’s comfort food in a bowl! Don’t throw away that ham bone when you bake a ham, save it for this soup! Or,  use a couple of ham hocks. You can make this in about 2 ½ hours on a cold winter’s afternoon. My recipe serves 6-8 people. Eliminate the winter chill and warm yourself up all the way to your toes!

Ingredients for Ham and Bean SoupPotatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, ham and celery for the soup.

Why I love this soup:

  • It’s quick to make

  • It feeds a crowd

  • It’s Gluten-Free and Paleo

  • It will warm you to your toes

  • It’s the perfect way to use that leftover ham bone from Christmas or Easter

Ham and Bean Soup before…

Mmmm…soul satisfying, warm-you-to-your-toes Ham and Bean soup with winter vegetables!

Ham and Bean Soup

Soul Satisfying Ham & Bean Soup

Soul Satisfying Ham and Bean soup with Winter Vegetables

Kate Battistelli
Rich with beans, meaty ham and lovely winter veggies like cabbage, carrots and potatoes, this is comfort food in a bowl!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • potato peeler
  • large stock pot or Dutch oven
  • Masher

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 cans pre-cooked beans like Great Northern or Cannellini Beans
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 large meaty ham bone or 2 pounds meaty smoked pork hocks
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2-3 cups chopped potatoes about 3 potatoes or chopped, peeled rutabagas
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 green cabbage thinly sliced
  • 1/2 chopped turnip-optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, add water, ham bone or hocks, chopped onion, chopped celery, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer about an hour..
  • Stir in beans, potatoes, cabbage and carrots. Return to boiling then reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.
  • Remove ham bone or pork hocks from the pot. When cool enough to handle, cut the meat off the bones, coarsely chop it and add it back to the soup. Discard the bones.
  • Slightly mash the beans and vegetables in the pot. Return the meat to the pot and cook till heated through. Makes about 8-10 main dish servings.

Notes

If using dried beans, rinse and drain beans in a colander. Put the beans in a large dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for one hour. (Or, soak the beans overnight in a covered pot.
Drain and rinse the beans.

Kate’s Tips

  • You can use a bag of navy beans or a  15 bean mix.
  • One of my readers made this with smoked turkey instead of ham. Wonderful idea!
  • Any leafy green added to this soup would be good. Think spinach, kale, escarole or swiss chard.
  • If you don’t want to use potatoes and can’t get rutabagas, turnips are a good substitute.
  • Serve with a salad and some good, crusty bread or muffins.
  • This freezes really well so make a big pot and freeze some for those Sunday nights when you just don’t want to cook!

What are your favorite winter soups?