Easy Ham And Bean Soup (With Canned Or Dry Beans)

I have a clear memory of falling in love with ham and bean soup as a young kid. It was often served at my church during Wednesday night Lenten soup suppers, and I always looked forward to it. I remember being a little surprised that a bean and vegetable-based soup could taste so good. Nowadays, I make this comfort food soup whenever I have leftover ham from Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas dinner.

Ingredient Spotlight: Ham 

I make this soup with leftover protein-rich ham and a collagen-rich ham hock (the center bone that usually still has meat attached) from a baked ham. Whenever I bake a spiral-cut ham, I find that there is just so much meat leftover, so I tear and chop the leftover ham into pieces and freeze them for later use, such as ham and potato soup, scalloped potatoes with ham, my Denver omelet breakfast burritos, or this white bean and ham soup. Separately, I wrap the leftover ham hock, which is a rich source of collagen, in foil and freeze that, too. 

However, you can make this soup even if you don’t have leftover ham. If that’s the case, purchase a 1-lb ham steak and cut it into pieces. Sometimes grocery stores will offer cooked diced ham and even ham hocks for purchase, so it’s worth asking at the meat counter. 

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How To Make This Soup With Dry Beans

You can make this ham and white bean soup whether you have canned beans or dried beans. Here’s the method to make it with dry beans. 

1. Instead of canned beans, use 1 pound of dry white beans, such as navy beans, Great Northern beans, or cannellini beans. Add the beans to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 10 cups of liquid (water or broth or a mix). Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Then cover, turn off the heat, and set aside for 1 hour. 
2. After 1 hour, add the ham hock (if using) to the Dutch oven. Also add the diced onion, celery, carrots, the minced cloves garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for 2 hours, uncovered. 
3. Remove and discard the ham hock. Stir in the chopped ham. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes to 2 hour more (keep going until the beans are tender and the soup reaches desired thickness), simmering longer for a thicker soup. If you want to keep simmering the soup for a long time, add more liquid (broth or water) as needed.
4. Remove the Dutch oven from heat. Stir in the spinach until wilted and the apple cider vinegar. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dash of black pepper, fresh thyme leaves, or fresh parsley, if desired.  

Serving Suggestions

Since this is a meaty, hearty soup with plenty of protein from the ham and beans, as well as fiber from the beans and veggies, it is a filling entree on its own.  

Personally, I think it’s a great choice for simple weeknights, as well as weekends and special occasions. To add more to the table, I like to serve it with a fresh salad and a side of crusty bread (such as this yummy sourdough bread) or cornbread muffins. 

Best Way To Store

I love the leftovers because I find that this soup is even better the next day! To store, let the soup cool to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat a batch of soup or individual portions in a pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat, adding more broth as needed.  

More Soups To Try

Minestrone Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup (Gluten-Free)

Easy Taco Soup Recipe (Instant Pot, Stovetop or Crockpot)

See All Soup Recipes

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Ham And Bean Soup Recipe

This delicious stovetop soup is a perfect combination of creamy white beans, flavorful ham, veggies, and everyday seasonings. It can be made with canned or dry beans and is a great use for leftover ham. Add a leftover ham bone if you have one!  

Prep: 10 minsCook: 30 minsTotal: 40 mins

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Servings: 10 cups 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced (~ 2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery, diced (~ 1 cup)
• 3 medium-large carrots, diced (~1 ½ cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 quarts (8 cups) water (or 1 quart water + 1 quart chicken broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ham hock/ham bone (optional – see notes)*
• 20–24 ounces (about 4 cups) chopped or pulled cooked ham pieces*
• 3 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves (may use chopped kale)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

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Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the diced onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and Italian seasoning; saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the water/broth, bay leaves, and the ham hock (if using). Cover and bring to a rolling simmer for 10-20 minutes (longer if using the ham hock). 
3. Remove the lid and add the ham and beans. (TIP: See more notes below for a thicker soup). Simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 10 minutes more but up to 30+ minutes more, especially if you desire a thicker more flavorful soup.
4. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and remove the ham hock and bay leaves. Add the spinach and apple cider vinegar to the soup; stir just until the spinach starts to wilt.
5. To store leftovers: Let soup cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Notes

*This recipe is a great use for leftover cooked ham from making a baked bone-in ham. If you have a ham bone/ham hock leftover from cooking a whole ham, add it to the soup to help build the flavor of the broth and add some collagen. If you don’t have a ham hock, I recommend using 4 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water for the liquid. And, if you don’t have leftover ham, purchase a 1-lb ham steak and cut it into pieces. 

For a thicker soup, mash 1 cup of the beans in a small bowl with a fork and add it to the soup when you add the beans. Also, the longer you simmer the soup over low heat, the thicker it will become. 

To make this soup with dried beans: 

1. Replace the canned beans with a 1 lb bag of dry white beans (navy beans, Great Northern beans, or cannellini beans). Add the beans to the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 10 cups of liquid (water or broth or a mix). Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Then cover, turn off the heat, and set aside for 1 hour. 
2. After 1 hour, add the ham hock (if using), plus the diced onion, celery, carrots, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for another 3+ hours, uncovered. Add more liquid (1-3 cups chicken broth/water) as needed to just keep the beans covered. 
3. Remove the ham hock and add the diced ham. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the beans are tender and the soup reaches desired thickness. Continue to simmer on low for as long as needed to get the beans to desired tenderness, adding more broth and water if it gets too low. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach and apple cider vinegar before serving.  

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1/8 of the recipe (1 1/4 cups)
• Calories: 368
• Fat: 9 g
• (Sat Fat: 3 g)
• Sodium: 708 mg
• Carbohydrate: 38 g
• (Fiber: 9 g
• Sugar: 4 g)
• Protein: 34 g
• Cholesterol: 70 mg

Dietary

Dairy-FreeEgg-FreeGluten-freeGrain-FreeNut-free

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: Jessie Shafer

The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

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