Ham and Bean Soup is classic comfort food that’s a great use for leftover ham. Make this one quickly and easily on the stovetop, slow cooker, or in the pressure cooker!
Is it cold and blustery where you are? It is here too. Which means I’m in the mood for some comfort food.
But when I say comfort food, I mean that it has to be hearty too. With the big appetites in this house, soups need to be packed full of goodness like this one.
I love this recipe because it is a great use for leftovers. When we make a ham for Christmas, Easter or St. Patrick’s Day – that hock can get used too. No waste.
I also love that this can be made on the stovetop, slow cooker, or in the pressure cooker. We started making this recipe decades ago using our Dutch oven and then in the Crockpot.
But when I picked up my first pressure cooker, it was a game-changer and this dinner became that much easier and faster to make.
ham hock soup
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is the best way to store leftover ham and bean soup?
Place any leftovers in a shallow airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Why use a shallow container to store the leftovers?
Well, when the container is shallow, the contents chill faster than if you were to use a large, deep container. Ideally, you don’t want it to take too long for the leftovers to get to their chilled/stored temperature.
As I mentioned, if the food remains above about 35 degrees for more than 1 hour after cooking, the bacteria starts to grow.
ham soup recipes
How can I thicken this soup?
Combine 4 tbsp of cornstarch, all-purpose flour or arrowroot powder with a cup of hot broth. Whisk to combine to make a slurry. Then whisk it into the finished soup. It will thicken as it sits.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Ham and Bean Soup on the stovetop?
- Heat the olive oil, onion, and carrot in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Cook until soft, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Next, add the ham bone, thyme, paprika, and bay leaves, followed by the stock and beans.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the ham bone and strip any remaining ham and add it back into the dutch oven. Stir.
- Serve with toppings of your choice.
Can I use navy beans or great northern beans instead of white beans?
Yes, you can. While they do have distinct differences, for the purposes of this recipe they are similar enough that you can swap them out as needed.
bean soup with ham bone
HOW DO YOU MAKE Ham and Bean Soup in the Pressure Cooker/ Instant Pot?
- Heat the olive oil, onion, and carrot in the pressure cooker pot insert on the saute setting.
- Cook until soft, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Next, add the ham bone, thyme, paprika, and bay leaves, followed by the stock and beans.
- Make sure the broth doesn’t fill past the max fill line. You may need to adjust based on the size of your pressure cooker.
- Close the lid and set the valve to sealing/pressure.
- Press manual/pressure high setting and adjust the time to cook for 5 minutes.
- Once the time is up and the machine beeps, quick release the pressure.
- Remove the ham bone and strip any remaining ham and add it back into the dutch oven. Stir.
- Serve with toppings of your choice.
What is “natural pressure release”?
Often, an Instant Pot recipe would call for you to release all the pressure at the end of the timed pressure cycle. However, the cooking process stops when the pressure is released.
For recipes that call for a natural pressure release, you would refrain from releasing the pressure from the unit for a set amount of time. This allows for a little extra cooking time as the pressure inside naturally goes down.
At the end of the natural pressure release cycle, you would then use the valve to release the remaining pressure and stop the cooking process.
white bean soup with ham
To make Ham and Bean Soup you will need…
- olive oil
- yellow onion- diced
- carrots- peeled and diced
- garlic – minced
- ham bone
- chicken OR beef stock
- bay leaves
- thyme
- paprika
- white beans
Can ham and bean soup be frozen?
You bet! Once it is fully cooked, place it in a BPA-safe freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Once cooled to room temperature, I like to place it in a zip-top bag and lay it flat on a baking sheet. I freeze it flat and then remove the baking sheet once firm. This is a great space-saving trick to maximize space in the freezer.
What to serve with ham and bean soup?
- cornbread
- sliced and toasted French bread
- croutons
- garlic bread
- dinner rolls
- cheesy biscuits
- pull-apart biscuits
- artisan bread
best ham and bean soup
Can this soup be made in the slow cooker/ Crockpot?
Yes, it can. Just add all of the ingredients to the cooker. Cover and set on high for 5 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours. Stir occasionally.
Products I love when making ham and bean soup…
This ham and bean soup recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you probably already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made this type of meal before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this hearty recipe.
- pressure cooker/ Instant Pot
- dutch oven
- wooden spoons
- ladle
- olive oil
- garlic – minced
- chicken OR beef stock
- bay leaves
- thyme
- paprika
- white beans – canned
- white beans – dry
If you love this Easy Ham and Bean Soup recipe, you’re going to love these other soups too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Soup Recipes
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Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ham bone
- 8 cups chicken OR beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp paprika
- 3 cans white beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
Stovetop
- Heat the olive oil, onion, and carrot in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Cook until soft, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Next, add the ham bone, thyme, paprika, and bay leaves, followed by the stock and beans.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the ham bone and strip any remaining ham and add it back into the dutch oven. Stir.
- Serve with toppings of your choice.
Pressure Cooker
- Heat the olive oil, onion, and carrot in the pressure cooker pot insert on the saute setting.
- Cook until soft, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Next, add the ham bone, thyme, paprika, and bay leaves, followed by the stock and beans.
- Make sure the broth doesn’t fill past the max fill line. You may need to adjust based on the size of your pressure cooker.
- Close the lid and set the valve to sealing/pressure.
- Press manual/pressure high setting and adjust the time to cook for 5 minutes.
- Once the time is up and the machine beeps, quick release the pressure.
- Remove the ham bone and strip any remaining ham and add it back into the dutch oven. Stir.
- Serve with toppings of your choice.
Slow Cooker/ Crockpot
- Add all of the ingredients to the cooker.
- Cover and set on high for 5 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours. Stir occasionally.
Notes
Once the time is up and the machine beeps, natural release for 15 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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