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 post today. Since we’re just days away from Christmas weekend and you may very well have ham on your menu, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes that makes use of the all-mighty ham bone and my tips and tricks to success when cooking with dry beans.
I love beans of every sort and keep a big supply of the canned variety on hand at all times but from time to time, and especially after the holidays when I’ve got a ham bone on my hands, I feel the necessity to open a bag of dry beans and go the distance.
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 recipe is perfect for the days following the holiday when you’re home and feeling 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.
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 beans into a large pot and add enough water to cover them by about 2″. Allow the beans to soak overnight. See recipe note for the an alternative quick soak method.
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 to the slow cooker and the simple seasonings – dry thyme, dry mustard, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Trust me, the ham will add so much wonderful, smoky flavor you don’t want to add more than a minimal amount of seasoning.
In goes 5 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, a couple of bay leaves, and your leftover meaty ham bone. It’s fine if your bone is not quite as meaty as this one. I was planning ahead and left quite a bit of meat on the bone for my soup. An important note – trim off excess fat and give the ham bone a rinse under cool water to remove any sweet glaze.
Cover the slow cooker, set it to HIGH, and let it cook for 1 hour. Reduce the temperature to LOW and let it cook and additional 5 to 6 hours or until the beans are tender.
Remove the ham bone and transfer it to a cutting board.
Add a small can of 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. 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.
In the meantime, remove the ham from the bone and chop it into small pieces.
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!
Tips for Success When Cooking Dry Beans
- If you don’t have time for the overnight soak you can speed things up with the quick soak method. See recipes notes for the details.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cooked beans freeze very well and will keep for several months.
More Leftover Ham Recipes
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
White Bean and Ham Soup (quick method)
Baked Beans from Scratch
Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Great Northern 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 stalks 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 beans, remove any debris and place in a large pot. Cover with water by at least 2-inches and soak beans overnight. They will more than double in size so choose your pot accordingly.
- 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 beans are tender, remove ham bone to a cutting board and remove and discard the bay leaves. Ad 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 puréed soup to slow cooker, adding more broth, only if needed, to reach desired consistency. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pull ham off the bone and chop into small pieces. Return chopped ham to the slow cooker and discard ham bone. Stir in chopped parsley. 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 : )