🛒 What You’ll Need
🫘 1 pound dried Great Northern beans or navy beans
🥩 1½–2 pounds cooked ham, cubed, or 1 meaty ham bone
🧅 1 large onion, diced
🥕 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
🌿 2 celery stalks, chopped
🧄 3 cloves garlic, minced
🍗 8 cups chicken broth
🌿 1 teaspoon dried thyme
🍃 1 bay leaf
🧂 ½ teaspoon black pepper
🧂 Salt, to taste
🌿 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
👩🍳 How to Make It
1️⃣ Prepare the beans.
Sort through the dried beans and remove any small stones or damaged beans. Rinse them well.
For the easiest slow-cooker method, use beans that have been soaked overnight and drained. 🫘
2️⃣ Load the slow cooker.
Add the beans, ham, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper.
3️⃣ Add the broth.
Pour in the chicken broth, making sure the beans are well covered.
4️⃣ Let it cook low and slow.
Cover and cook on LOW for 7–9 hours, or until the beans are tender and creamy.
5️⃣ Finish the soup.
Remove the ham bone and bay leaf. If using a ham bone, pull off any remaining meat, chop it, and return it to the soup.
Taste and add salt only if needed—the ham and broth can already provide plenty. 🥰
6️⃣ Serve hot!
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.
And don't forget the crusty bread for dunking! 🍞
✨ Want to Make It Your Own?
🥔 Add diced potatoes during the last few hours of cooking.
🌶️ Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
🥬 Stir in chopped kale or spinach near the end.
🥓 Add a little cooked bacon for even more smoky flavor.
🍅 A spoonful of tomato paste can give the broth extra depth.
💡 A Little Tip
If your soup becomes thicker than you'd like, simply stir in a little extra warm broth or water before serving.
And if you're using a salty ham bone, wait until the very end to season the soup. It's much easier to add salt than to fix a soup that's already too salty!
❤️ The Best Kind of Leftovers
Ham and bean soup is one of those meals that somehow tastes even better the next day.
The beans continue to soak up that savory broth, the ham becomes even more flavorful, and suddenly yesterday's dinner becomes today's lunch that you're actually excited about. ❤️
It's humble food, but it's the kind of humble food that fills the kitchen with warmth and the family with full bellies.
💬 Your Turn!
Do you make your ham and bean soup with a ham bone, diced ham, or both? 🥩🫘
And what's your must-have side?
🍞 Cornbread
🥖 Crusty bread
🥔 Crackers
🧈 Or nothing but a big spoon?
Tell us your favorite way to serve it! 👇❤️
Thank you for spending a little time with us today. ❤️
✍️ Written with care by BASSMA EL-HAZIBI
