Best Ever Ham & Bean Soup
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Whenever I get a bone-in ham, it’s not the meal made of the slices of ham that excites me – it’s that ham bone! Oh yes, it’s all about that hambone!
My husband drools over that ham bone. He would rather have a big bowl of this delicious soup over a plate full of ham any day. I can’t say I blame him though, it’s not just delicious – it’s insanely delicious. Give me a dish full of cornbread to go along with it, & I’m in heaven.
Here’s how it goes together. It’s simple & foolproof, I promise!
You’ll need a bag of 16 Bean Soup. Or 15 bean soup – or 13 bean soup. I’ve noticed different ones in different stores for some reason – so just grab you a bag of 13-16 bean soup. 😉 Throw away any of the seasoning packets that may come with it – you don’t want that in this divine soup!
Soak the beans for at least 8 hours & up to 24 hours.
After soaking, rinse & drain the beans.
Aren’t they pretty?
In a large stockpot, saute the onions & peppers until tender. Add in the 6 cups of water, the ham bone, & the beans to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low. Hambones are a beautiful thing, people.
If you don’t have a hambone, use 4 meaty ham hocks in place of the ham & add in 2 cups of sliced ham.
Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, green chiles, & spices (including the bay leaves). Let the soup simmer for at least 4 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally. If there is any meat left on the ham bone after it’s done simmering – gently pull it off with a wooden spoon before removing the ham bone & the bay leaves.
Isn’t it gorgeous? I’m already drooling.
Like I mentioned earlier, this soup freezes beautifully! I have a family of 5 (although my husband eats like 2 people, but that’s another story), and we usually freeze half for a late date. Sometimes, I even think the flavor is better the second go round!
Oh yeah. If you couldn’t tell from the pictures, this is a thick soup – almost like a stew.. If you like a thinner consistency, then by all means – add more water if you feel you need it. I happen to love mine thick & hearty!
Crockpot users : this can also be made in the crockpot. You will need a large crockpot though – at least 6 quarts! Put everything in the crockpot & cook on low for 10-12 hours.
Ham & Bean Soup
Ingredients
- a ham bone with any leftover meat left on it (ham hock is not the same)
- 6 cups water
- 1 package of 16 bean soup spice mix discarded
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper I mix bell pepper and banana peppers when I have banana peppers on hand
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 7 oz or 8oz can of diced green chiles undrained (size depending on which you can find in your area)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 heaping tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 heaping tablespoon garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the beans for at least 8 hours & up to 24 hours. After they have soaked, drain them & give them a good rinse.
- In a large stockpot, saute the onions & peppers until tender. Add in the 6 cups of water, the ham bone, & the beans to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, green chiles, & spices (including the bay leaves). Let the soup simmer for at least 4 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally. If there is any meat left on the ham bone after it’s done simmering – gently pull it off with a wooden spoon before removing the ham bone & the bay leaves.
Notes
I am going to make these this week.
We dont eat ham, what could I use instead, even to make a non meat version? TY 🙂
I use a smoked turkey leg in mine.
Can this be thrown into the crockpot covered for 4 hours? If so, would I reduce the water since it won’t evaporate? Any thoughts?.
How are you going to pull meat off a bone with a wooden spoon?????
Is the only ham in this recipe what comes from the ham bone? Or are you missing a line item in the list of ingredients?
to speed things up you could do the beans in the pressure cooker, rather than long soaking & then proceed with the recipe ..cold snap here & ham bone in the frig 🙂 this is going to be supper..yum
I have made this soup on tje stovetop. It is delicious! Could this recipe be doubled in the crockpot?
This IS the best ham and bean soup ever! My whole family enjoyed it. Even my picky 13 year old daughter liked it (a mac-n-cheese, chicken nugget eater). The only alteration I made was added a bit of vegi broth that I had leftover in fridge. Will make again soon!
this was wonderful… i did mine in the pressure cooker – i still soaked
the beans overnight and it took about an hour of cooking…. i also
added some additional leftover ham since my family really loves meat….
Delicious! I cooked this recipie in my Instapot on manual for 35 minutes and it turned out so good! I soaked my beans while at work and used hatch chilies for a good spice!
I’m drooling, too!
What size is the bag of beans in this recipe.? I have a ziploc bag of loose pinto beans that I’m going to use? How many cups do I use?
16oz bag of beans – 2 cups dry beans.
This soup is fantastic!
So glad you like it!
This is a wonderful recipe! I excluded the green chilis (didn’t have any) and added cabbage, along with a some smoked paprika and ground red pepper. Yummy!
QUESTION: WHEN USING THE CROCK POT, DO YOU STILL SOAK THE BEANS?
Yes, I do.
Out of green chillies will would this make a big difference in the outcome
No, not a huge one. I’d go ahead and make it without it!
Crystal. Confused do you use the spice pack from the beans or not? Thanks!
No, I sure don’t.
I just made this. Pretty much exactly as instructed, it was EXTREMELY DELICIOUS! Hearty and Healthy (except for the ham pieces), ! Will definitely make this again!! Thank You Mrs Happy Homemaker for sharing😊