Old Fashioned Ham and Beans Soup
Have leftover ham and a ham bone? This Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup is simple to put together, super flavorful, and freezes well for future meals.
Simple Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
When I was in culinary school, the chef instructors would literally YELL AT US if we even thought about throwing away any meat bones before using them a second time to make stock, soup or a sauce.
Chef Shawn’s voice will forever echo in my head: “That’s free flavor, chef. Don’t throw that away!” So, don’t throw your ham bone away. That’s free flavor, home chef.
We only have a bone-in ham once or twice a year, but without fail, in the week after that meal, you’ll find me making this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe!
Why you will love this Old Fashioned Ham and Beans soup
- Fights Food Waste. There’s so much flavor left in a ham bone, not to mention the leftover meat. Let’s use every bit of it!
- Affordable. Dried beans are cheap, and if you have leftover ham and a ham bone from a holiday dinner, you can put this soup together at a very low cost.
- Freezer Friendly. Not ready to actually eat ham again right now? No worries. Just make the soup and throw it in the freezer for sometime in the future.
Bean and Ham Soup ingredients
- navy beans – The dried kind. You’ll need to soak these overnight before you begin this recipe, but it’s so so easy.
- butter – or olive oil works, too.
- garlic – because I am incapable of making a soup without garlic.
- onion – classic mirepoix ingredient #1.
- carrot – classic mirepoix ingredient #2.
- celery – classic mirepoix ingredient #3.
- leftover ham – you’ll need about 1-1/2 cups of leftover ham meat (from my baked ham with pineapple or any type of ham). If you have a little less, that’s fine too.
- ham bone – cut this out of your ham. If there’s still some meat clinging to it, that’s totally fine.
- thyme – I used 3 sprigs of fresh thyme in this white bean and ham soup, but a pinch of dried thyme works just as well.
- bay leaf – I don’t even know if I could tell you what bay leaf really tastes like, I just know every soup has to have one, so this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe has it, too.
- salt and pepper – you may or may not need this, more on that later.
Soak the beans overnight for this Ham Bean Soup Recipe
I’ll be honest and tell you that I was intimidated by cooking with dried beans for a very long time. But really, that intimidation turned out to be so silly, because soaking beans is the easiest thing.
To soak navy beans overnight, all you do is rinse the beans off, put them in a big bowl or pot, and cover them with water by a couple of inches. That’s it. You’re done. You’ve soaked the beans and you’re ready to make soup.
The next day, you’ll drain them and discard the soaking water. Then, start making your old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe, using fresh water when it comes time to add water.
Forgot to soak your beans last night, but still want to make this ham bone soup recipe today? The Kitchn has a quick soak method that is just what you need.
How to make Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup
1. SAUTE. Saute the garlic, celery, carrots and onion in butter in a large pot until they are softened.
2. SIMMER. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, ham bone, water, navy beans and chopped ham. Bring it to a boil and then cover the pot and simmer over medium-low for 90 minutes until the beans are very tender but still hold their shape, stirring occasionally.
3. ADJUST SEASONING & CONSISTENCY. Remove and discard the ham bone, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Adjust the seasoning and consistency as needed (see Home Chef Tips box below for more information on this).
Home Chef Tips for Bean and Ham Soup
- The seasoning of this ham bone soup recipe is up to you. I don’t add ANY salt or pepper until the very end. The reason being is that sometimes ham bones have the tendency to be very salty. So, when your soup is done simmering, you’ll need to taste it, and then season with salt and pepper to your preference. You actually may not need any additional salt.
- You can adjust the consistency based on your preference after the soup finishes simmering. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it out with a little extra water. If the soup is too thin for your taste, you can mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to act as a thickening agent for the soup.
This Recipe for Ham and Bean Soup makes quite a bit!
The elephant in the room is that this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe makes 10 cups of soup. That’s 2-1/2 quarts, and I know, it’s a lot.
A half batch of this white bean and ham soup MAY be possible, but I haven’t tested it yet.
I fear that a half batch of this leftover ham soup recipe would be overwhelmingly salty due to how salty the ham bone is. Cooking the bone in only 4 cups of water (instead of the 8 cups of water I’ve used below) may not dilute the ham bone seasoning enough.
So, I think if I were to make a half batch of this navy bean and ham soup, I would probably add the ham bone for only about 30 minutes of the simmering time of the soup, and then remove the bone and let the soup finish simmering.
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How to store Old Fashioned Ham and Beans soup
Cool your soup to room temperature, and then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
How long is Bean and Ham Soup good for?
Since you’re starting this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe with leftover ham, I recommend eating this soup within 3 days of making it.
Or, eat some of this navy bean and ham soup and freeze the rest for future meals. More on that below.
Can this Ham Bean Soup Recipe be frozen?
Yes, this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe can be frozen!
The texture of the navy bean and ham soup may change a little bit when it’s reheated (the beans may become even softer), but if that won’t bother you, I say go for it.
I thought this ham bone soup recipe was just as delicious having been frozen and reheated as it was the first time around. And it was so nice to have a few containers of this soup in my freezer for easy meals on busy weeknights.
How to serve this Recipe for Ham and Bean Soup
This ham bone soup recipe is pretty filling on it’s own, so you don’t necessarily NEED a side dish.
But, if you’d like a fresh salad to serve alongside this leftover ham soup recipe, my Thanksgiving salad, Christmas salad, Easter salad recipe and Easter fruit salad are great options all year long, not just on those particular holidays.
Ham and Bean Soup Recipe FAQs
There are a few reasons why your ham and bean soup might be watery. It could be due to excessive soaking of the beans, so be sure to soak them overnight but not too much longer. Your soup could also be watery from not allowing it to simmer long enough. A 90 minute simmer is a long time, but this soup needs it!
While it’s difficult to overcook bean soup, it is possible. Overcooking will cause the beans to lose their shape and become mushy, which isn’t too pleasant to eat. To prevent this, keep an eye on the soup as it cooks and ensure the beans are tender yet still hold their shape before removing it from the heat.
Yes, you should cover bean and ham soup as it cooks, as covering the soup helps retain moisture and allows the beans to cook more quickly.
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Ham Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- ½ large yellow onion chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 leftover ham bone
- 8 cups cold water
- 2 cups dried navy beans soaked overnight and drained (see Notes)
- 1 ½ cups chopped leftover ham
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In large pot with lid, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic, celery, carrots and onion. Cook 4 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in thyme, bay leaf, ham bone, water, navy beans and chopped ham. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 90 minutes or until beans are very tender but still hold their shape, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard ham bone, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. If soup is too thick, stir in more water until desired consistency is achieved.
- Taste soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. You may not need any salt at all, depending on how salty the ham bone was.
Notes
- To soak navy beans overnight, rinse the beans with cold water and then put them in a big bowl or pot. Cover beans with cold water by a couple of inches.
- The following day, drain the beans and discard the soaking water.
This recipe was fantastic- thank you! I used lentils because I didn’t have any navy beans and it was still killer.
I am so glad to hear this was a hit for you, Erica. Lentils are a great idea here!