Make use of the bone from your holiday ham and cook up a batch of this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup. It is the perfect post-holiday comfort food to enjoy with your family.
If you’ve never cooked beans from scratch I’m going to do my best to motivate you to do exactly that with this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup recipe. This is one of my favorite recipes that makes use of the all-mighty ham bone and I’m sharing my tips and tricks to success when cooking with dry beans.
Whenever ham is on my Easter or Christmas menu, this soup is a must-make recipe in the days following the holiday. It’s not fast but it’s actually quite easy and the result will be fabulous if you don’t try to rush things.
This cozy soup is perfect when you have a day at home after the crazy, busy holiday and feel the need for a little wholesome comfort food. After all that holiday indulgence, this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup will really hit the spot.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Dry beans: White beans are the best choice for this recipe. My favorites are Great Northern beans or navy beans.
- Vegetables: Diced white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped carrots, chopped celery, and minced garlic.
- Seasoning: Dried thyme, dry mustard, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and dried bay leaves. Trust me, the ham adds so much wonderful, smoky flavor you don’t want to add more than a minimal amount of seasoning.
- Ham bone: A leftover meaty ham bone, trimmed of excess fat and rinsed with cool water to remove any glaze.
- Broth: Low sodium chicken broth.
- Tomato sauce: A small can of tomato sauce is added at the end of the cooking time.
- Fresh herbs: Italian flat-leaf parsley.
Methods for Soaking Dry Beans
Overnight Soak Method: I prefer the overnight soak method when cooking beans from scratch because it is one of very few kitchen tasks that can be done while sleeping! Pour the contents of a 1 pound bag of dry great northern or navy beans into a large pot and add enough water to cover them by about 2-inches. Allow the beans to soak overnight.
Quick Soak Method: If you’d prefer to soak and cook your beans on the same day, use this method. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with 2- to 3-inches of cool water. Bring to a boil and keep at a high simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for one hour.
How to Make Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- The next day, drain and rinse the soaked beans and transfer them to your slow cooker insert. They will have plumped up quite a bit and be ready for the cooking process.
- Add some chopped onion, celery, carrot, and minced garlic, and the seasoning to the slow cooker.
- Next, add the chicken broth, a couple of bay leaves, and your leftover meaty ham bone. Cover the slow cooker, set it to high, and let it cook for 1 hour. Then, reduce the temperature to low and let it cook an additional 5 to 6 hours or until the beans are tender.
- Remove the ham from the bone, cut it into small pieces, and set it aside. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Transfer about one-third of the soup mixture to a blender or food processor and process for a minute or two. Return the puréed soup to the slow cooker, cover, and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves and add the chopped ham to the soup. Stir in some chopped fresh parsley and you are ready to serve this hearty, absolutely wonderful made-from-scratch ham and bean soup!
Texture Tip
Puréeing a portion of the soup is an optional step but I like the velvety texture it adds. If you’d prefer a more broth-like consistency, you can skip it.
Tips for Making Ham and Bean Soup in a Slow Cooker
Check the expiration date: Always start with fresh beans. Dry beans will last for up to a year if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Discard any older beans as they will not cook properly and may never become soft.
Dried Herbs vs. Fresh Herbs: Dried herbs have more highly concentrated flavor and hold up far better in slow cooker recipes than fresh herbs. Fresh herbs can be added at the end of the cooking time so they’ll retain their flavor and add freshness to the recipe.
Adding acid-based ingredients: When cooking dry beans, don’t add acid based items like tomato sauce or vinegar until after the beans have had their initial cooking time and have become tender. If added at the beginning, acid-based ingredients can prevent the beans from softening properly.
Testing for doneness: To determine when beans have cooked enough try biting into one or mashing it against the side of the slow cooker with a spoon. Properly cooked beans should be tender to the bite but still somewhat firm.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Refrigerate: Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Cooked beans freeze very well and this soup will keep well for several months if packaged properly. I like to ladle the soup into freezer-safe plastic storage bags, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. You can do this is smaller bags for portion size servings, if desired. Just lay the bags flat in the freezer until frozen solid, then they can be stacked to save freezer space. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheating: The soup will thicken quite a bit when refrigerated so thin it out with a bit of water or chicken broth when reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
More Leftover Ham Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- White Bean and Ham Soup (quick method)
- Baked Beans from Scratch
- Ham Fried Rice
- Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup
- Ham Salad
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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Great Northern beans or navy beans
- water, enough to cover dry beans by 2-inches for overnight soak
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional if desired (taste and season after cooking)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 meaty ham bone, (trimmed of excess fat and rinsed of any glaze)
- 5 to 6 cups low sodium chicken broth, as needed
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- The evening before you want to cook the soup, rinse the beans in colander, remove any debris, and place them in a large pot. Cover with water by at least 2-inches and soak them overnight. They will more than double in size so choose your pot accordingly. See alternate quick soak method in notes below.
- The next day, drain and thoroughly rinse the soaked beans and transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Layer the remaining ingredients through the ham bone in the slow cooker in the order listed. Add about 5 cups of chicken broth, or just enough to cover the beans and veggies. Reserve any remaining chicken broth for later. Tuck the bay leaves into the mixture, cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.
- Reduce heat to LOW and continue to cook for an additional 5 to 6 hours. Stir occasionally during cooking time. When the beans are tender, remove the ham bone to a cutting board and remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the tomato sauce, stirring to combine. If you'd like a creamier texture, transfer about ⅓ of the soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return the puréed soup to the slow cooker, adding more broth, only if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pull the ham off the bone. discard the bone, and chop the ham into small pieces. Return the chopped ham to the slow cooker. Stir in the chopped parsley and taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Can I make this with canned beans?
Hi Vanessa. I don’t recommend cooking canned beans for an extended amount of time in the slow cooker. They are already cooked and can take on an unpleasant texture if cooked for too long. Instead, you might want to give my recipe for White Bean and Ham Soup a try. It’s fast and delicious and you can try it with different types of beans to suit your taste.
I soaked my beans overnight and after 7 hours in the crockpot they are still hard. Just moved them to a pot on the stove and am boiling away trying to get them done in the next hour or so. It smells good, just need to get the beans done. Not as easy as I’d hoped, but as long as they taste good it’ll be worth it.
I can not locate the pretty bird bowls on Joss and Main. Do you have any more info?
I am also going to try the bean soup recipe. Thank you.
Hi Betty. I bought those years ago so I’m sure they must no longer carry them. I just came across similar bowls that I’m falling in love with right now from the same manufacturer on Amazon. Take a look at my affiliate link – https://amzn.to/2wBskA7
I think I’m going to have to order these adorable snowman Christmas bowls – https://amzn.to/2NzO7ye – Now you’ve got me shopping! 🙂
I have looked high & low for a very good recipe. One that I had all the ingredients for and came close to a recipe I had years ago! I’m soaking my beans now but I can tell you this will be good without a doubt. Thank you for this.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! We had a large ham bone in the freezer for some time that needed “clearing out” and this was the perfect recipe for it. And it makes a big batch so there are plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight.
I fixed this today with the quick soak method, started the crock pot at 12:30 on high did not go to low, we were able to eat the soup at 6. My mom made the best ham and navy bean soup and have tried for years to duplicate it, finally gave it up. This was a huge success. So glad I came across this recipe on Pinterest!
I made your Slow Cooker Ham and Bean soup today. Great recipe! So easy. I did learn one thing though. Dried beans don’t keep fresh forever!! Mine were a little old and took longer to cook. Some were still a ‘lil crunchy! I can’t wait to make this again. With fresh beans!
Hi Maggie. Yes, it’s true that dried beans do have a shelf life and are best if used within 2 years or the texture can be off. But dry beans past their expiration aren’t completely useless I have a big batch stored in my pantry that I use every time I blind bake a pie crust.
If you don’t have a ham bone, what is the next best alternative?
Hi Chris. You could cook the beans as directed, omitting the ham bone, but you would be missing that smoky ham flavor which I think is necessary in this recipe. Check the meat department or ask the butcher at your grocery store and you might find a ham hock that could be substituted. I’d also pick up a small portion of ham to chop and add to the soup at the end of the cooking time since a ham hock purchased at the store won’t have much meat on it.
I am making your ham and bean soup and I am hesitant to add the tomato sauce as it tastes good without it. What does the tomato sauce add for flavor?
Hi Joan. Adding the tomato sauce gives it a flavor that reminds me more of the bean with bacon soup I ate (and loved!) growing up but I agree, it would be delicious without it.
Hi! Do you have any amazing ground turkey recipes?
My absolute #1 favorite ground turkey recipe is my Three Bean Turkey Chili. It is on regular rotation on our menu here. Some other popular choices – Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Chili Cornbread Bake, and Turkey Parmesan Meatballs. Several of my recipes that call for ground beef are also excellent with ground turkey. Here are some good choices:
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Pizza Joes
Bonnie’s Minestrone
Tamale Pie
I cooked my beans the “quick way” and my beans are nowhere near done. Now I have a huge pot of soup with hard beans. I was told by my friend that I should’ve boiled the beans for an HOUR, not TWO minutes. ??? Pinterest probs
Hi Kylee. If you do a search for “quick soak method beans” you will find that just about every trusted source (Epicurious, Bon Apetit, The Kitchn, etc.) will state similar directions as what I’ve posted here. I far prefer the overnight method but the beans should cook to a tender state if you allow them enough time despite which method you choose although I’m sure it might take a bit longer if you go with the quick soak method.
Word to wise….. Let the batch to purée cool b fore blending it. My kitchen is covered with the explosion of soup!
Oh, Ginger! So sorry that happened. I hope the remaining soup worked out well for you!
An immersion blender really helps! No more hot splatters : )