Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

This simple yet delicious Ham and Bean Soup is made using a bone-in-ham steak, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, canned white beans, and a handful of common pantry spices. Leftovers are so tasty and heat up perfectly on the stovetop or in the microwave at a reduced power. This is a great recipe for using up leftover Easter or Christmas ham.

Course Soup

Cuisine Southern

Keyword ham and bean soup recipe, how do you make ham and bean soup, how to make ham and bean soup, how to thicken ham and bean soup, recipe for ham and bean soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Servings serving

Calories 156kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

½ tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 ribs celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 15.5 ounce cans white beans rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1 ¼ - 1 ½ lb bone in ham steak

Instructions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion and celery have softened; 6-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme leaves, cumin, white pepper, and crushed red pepper cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth, brown sugar, white beans, and bay leaves. Add the ham steak by slicing it into sections that will fit in the pot. Don't forget to include the ham bone. Let everything simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Remove the ham from the pot and cut it into bite-size pieces. Discard any fat, skin, ham bone, and bay leaves. Return the ham to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. If desired, season to taste with additional black pepper, crushed red pepper, or thyme.
For a creamy texture and if you prefer thicker soups, puree a small portion of the soup with a handheld immersion blender or in a stand blender. Always remove the inner cap when blending hot liquids.

Notes

Drain and rinse your beans to remove the additional sodium.
Great Northern Beans, Cannellini Beans, Pinto Beans, or Navy Beans can be substituted for white beans.
If you prefer to use dried beans, then I recommend soaking overnight. Then rinse well under cold water. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, but simmer the soup closer to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.
You can substitute dried thyme leaves for fresh ones. Use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon.
Ham steaks are prepackaged and sold with the other smaller cuts of ham at your local grocery store. I have always enjoyed using the Frick brand for many of my recipes, including Ham Steak with Honey Mustard Glaze. Make sure you pick a ham steak with a bone in it.
Ham shanks or ham hocks work in place of the ham steak, but they have less meat on them.
This delectable soup reheats very well on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced power so the beans don't explode.
To freeze, cool the soup to room temperature and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or freezer zipper bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I recommend not adding any salt to this recipe. Ham and canned beans bring plenty of additional salt to this recipe.
If making this with leftover ham, be sure to include the ham bone while simmering. It really adds a lot of flavor and depth to this soup.
Before serving, don't forget to remove the ham bone and bay leaves.

Nutrition