Let's use that leftover ham bone to make a great hearty and delicious ham and bean soup. There is nothing much more traditional than this classic soup. Please enjoy one of the best soups you can make at home.
Introduction and My Rating
This is my take on traditional Senate Bean Soup. It is a simple soup made with navy beans, ham hocks, and onion. It is always on the menu in the dining room of the United States Senate. There are two versions with one using mashed potatoes to thicken the soup.
I combined about five recipes and methods, so no specific inspiration piece other than the Senate recipe. Most recipes use chicken broth for all or part of the liquid, but by using the ham bone, we won't need the broth.
Some of the recipes suggested 8 hour cooking times on low even with non-soaked beans. It took the full 10 hours with the overnight soaked beans to be the right consistency.
Lastly, the amount of liquid varied from 6 cups to 12 cups. Many commenters thought the high end was just too much liquid. I suggest 6 cups. It did not completely cover the ham but was just right. They, like me, want a thicker bean soup.
My Rating
A low five for us ham and bean soup lovers. A nice 4 for everybody else.
🐖Ham Bone
The ham in the recipe is THE huge variable. Start with a "meaty" bone. If you stripped it, you would have no meat.
All hams have a huge amount of salt. Many hams have been covered with honey or other sweet products. Also, you have a large amount of fat, much of it on the surface.
All those things are a problem that could ruin your soup. So the preparation of the ham is critically important.
Use running water to remove surface sugar. Scrape off any fat that you can. And be careful with adding any sodium.
What if you don't have a ham bone?
You can use about 2 cups of diced ham, and instead of water, use chicken broth.
The Beans
The beans can be either navy or great northern beans. The navy beans are smaller and more traditional for this soup.
Either dry or pre-cooked beans will work fine in this recipe. But, this was a great recipe to start using dry beans. And if you're on a budget, it makes this soup extremely cheap considering you were going to toss that ham bone.
Precooked Beans
You should drain the beans and rinse them well to decrease any added salt. Of course, use low sodium products. The cooking time will decrease a few hours with precooked beans vs. the dry beans.
The 1 pound of dry will equal approximately three cans or one 48 oz jar of precooked beans.
Dried Beans
Generally, dry beans should be soaked before cooking. It was always done in the "good old days." A nice overnight soak was always done. Also, picking through the beans for pebbles and rocks was important. We frequently found them.
You will find recipes that don't soak. There is also a "rapid soak" method that involves bringing them to a boil for a few minutes then allowing to rest for an hour (Check Epicurious.com).
So does soaking the dry beans do anything?
The no-soak crowd apparently think soaking is a waste of time. Tradition says less gas and more even cooking.
Well, our friends at Cooks Illustrated in The Science of Good Cooking have done some testing and find that there is less gas.
Let me explain. There are some simple carbohydrates in beans that humans can not digest. But your intestinal bacteria can digest them which produces a lot of gas.
Soaking decreases these carbohydrates some but the rapid method even more. But neither method comes anywhere close to eliminating them. Now, don't you feel smarter?
✔️Tips
A Final Note on Salt
So just as a reminder, if you didn't read all the above, most hams have LOTS of salt. Don't add any until you're sure you need it.
The Vegetables
The carrot and celery are an option, but I thought they made it more interesting.
A diced potato added halfway through cooking will help thicken some. You can also add a half or a full cup of mashed potatoes near the end to thicken.
Storage
Good refrigerated for 3-4 days. Good in the freezer for 3-4 months.
📖Ham Recipes
Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Puerto Rican Chuletón Soup AKA Xmas Ham Bone Soup
Ham Bone Vegetable Soup – Crock Pot Edition
🖼️Instructions
A nice meaty ham bone and some simple ingredients are all that's needed. Dry beans are in the picture, but you may use 48 oz. of pre-cooked navy or great northern beans.
Rinse 1 pound of navy or great northern dry beans. Pick through the beans for any stones or pebbles. Cover with water and allow to soak overnight.
Under running water, rinse any coating off a meaty ham bone. Also, scrape off any surface fat that you can. Add to a larger crock pot.
Dice 2 medium carrots, two ribs celery, and one medium onion. Carrot and celery are options but recommended.
Add the beans, carrots, celery, and onion to the crock pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and one bay leaf. Add 6 cups of water.
Cook on low for 8 hours total if precooked beans and 10 hours for dry beans. Two hours before the end of cooking, remove ham bone to a cutting board. Allow the bone to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then remove all meat from the bone. Discard bone and any fat and waste.
Place meat back into the cooker and finish cooking. This is a good point to taste test for adding salt if needed.
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📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Ham Bone and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans - or great northern; see note about precooked beans
- 1 ham bone - meaty
- 2 carrots - medium - diced - optional
- 2 ribs celery - - diced - optional
- 1 onion - medium - diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf - optional
Instructions
- You may use one pound of dry beans or 48 oz. of pre-cooked beans.
- If using dry beans, rinse 1 pound of navy or great northern dry beans. Pick through the beans for any stones or pebbles. Cover with water and allow to soak overnight.
- Under running water, rinse any coating off a meaty ham bone. Also, scrape off any surface fat that you can. Add to a larger crock pot.
- Dice 2 medium carrots, two ribs celery, and one medium onion. Carrot and celery are options but recommended.
- Add the beans, carrots, celery, and onion to the crock pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and one bay leaf. Add 6 cups of water.
- Cook on low for 8 hours total if precooked beans and 10 hours for dry beans. Two hours before the end of cooking, remove ham bone to a cutting board. Allow the bone to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then remove all meat from the bone. Discard bone and any fat and waste.
- Place meat back into the cooker and finish cooking. This is a good point to taste test for adding salt if needed.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use a large crock pot of 6 quarts or above.
- Ham bones (and hams) vary a lot. So this is like many recipes, this is guidelines and not rules.
- If yours is honey-coated or spiced heavily, you need to rinse as much of that off as possible.
- Most hams have LOTS of salt. Don't add any until you're sure you need it and use low sodium products if possible.
- You can use pre-cooked navy or great northern beans. You will need 48 oz. and they should be drained and rinsed. Use low sodium is possible.
- Dried beans should have an overnight soak in water to decrease gas production.
- If you seem to have a fatty ham, cook then refrigerate to cool then skim the fat.
- If you don't have a ham bone, you can still make this soup with about two cups of diced ham and use chicken broth for the water.
- The total cooking time for the dry bean version is 10 hour and 8 hours using pre-cooked beans.
- Stores well refrigerated for 3-4 days. And will freeze well for 3-4 months.
- It is a good idea to cool this soup in the refrigerator and when cold, remove any fat on top.
Nutrition
Editor's Note: Originally Published December 13, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Tammy
This recipe looks great. Any tips on cooking with a frozen ham bone? Should any adjustments be made? Also, I will be using canned beans. About how much time should I give this in the crockpot?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Tammy,
Welcome to the blog.
First, the frozen hambone. I would caution just like frozen chicken breasts, frozen things in a hot crockpot has been known to break ceramic liners. So thawing is always recommended. But many people do it.
Second, precooked (jar or canned) are covered in the tips but take about 2 hours off the cooking time usually is right. Drain them before adding them.
Dan.
JLL
I've been following you for years. Lots of great recipes! When I offer up something new for dinner, my husband asks "Is this from the Pediatrician?".
I'd never made soup from a leftover ham bone, and, had never soaked beans before! It was a bit intimidating at first. The soup turned out amazing and my husband loved it! I followed the recipe exactly with one exception..At the 8 hour mark, I used a slotted spoon and put some of the solids in the blender and then returned it to the pot. This thickened the soup just enough for us. I'll make it again next time we have a ham! Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi JLL,
Welcome to the blog (or blog commenting).
I have a ham bone in the freezer waiting for a blizzard and this soup. It goes great with the cornbread dropped biscuits.
Glad you two are enjoying the blog.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Linda
I’m planning on making this soup but I saw a comment about using 2 crockpots. I guess one just for the meat. Is that right?Linda
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Linda,
Welcome to the blog.
I remember that comment. It seemed a bit odd but to worked for her. I use only one crockpot for the entire cooking. I think one would be better to have the ham cook along with the veggies/beans and creating broth.
Dan
Andie
I am making this for the third time today! This is my go to for ham bone bean soup. I follow the recipe and use dry beans. Perfect every time! So tasty! Thank you!
Maria
Hi. I plan on making this next week. I just want to know, how big is a serving?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Maria,
Welcome to the blog.
I have a honey-baked ham coming for Christmas, so I have plans for this for New Year's.
The volume and nutrition are a bit variable; You don't know how much meat, sodium, or fat cooks off the hambone. Having said that, I have done this recipe many times, and the serving size is usually 1 1/2 cup or a little more. So it is not a huge amount of soup like some other recipes.
I hope that helps. Enjoy some soup.
Dan
Christina
My mom made this a lot when I was a kid. So excited to have come across this recipe as it’s exactly as I remember it. Lately, she started adding all kinds of uncommon leftovers like stuffing (I didn’t get to try it).
Alas, I am making this soup as I type and wondering if adding leftover turkey gravy at the end will thicken up the broth and still taste good!! I’ll keep you posted!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Christina,
Welcome to the blog.
I hope the soup works for you. A suspect that adding the gravy will thicken some. The thickening works by the starch (usually flour) absorbing liquid. I think the ham taste will dominate the taste so it will probably taste fine.
Dan
Christina
Thank you Dan! The soup turned out wonderfully and I ended up in a hurry and forgot to add the gravy after all! Since so much was eaten, I decided to add to what was leftover. So the next day I added more ham (this time, country style), chicken broth, and orzo (cooked in the pot after the broth came to a boil). Also added some dried thyme and parsley which really enchanted the already wonderful flavor!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Karen
I keep my recipe for this soup pretty simple. I prefer to use navy beans, don’t use chicken stock, carrots or celery. I use water, white onion and lots of ground black pepper with a meaty ham bone studded with whole cloves. This was my mother’s way of making it and I find it very tasty.
Trudy K Spicer
I like Navy beans and I use half chicken broth and water in my bean soup. It really gives the soup a great flavor
Sam
Try a bowl with a squirt of ketchup. Got that idea as kid from a neighbor who was a cook on a battleship in WWII.
DrDan
Hi Sam,
Welcome to the blog. Sorry for the delayed response, a bit of minor surgery.
I love old ideas like this. And it sounds tasty.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Carol
In the crock pot now and thinking about adding spinach at the end of cooking time. Thoughts?
DrDan
Hi Carol,
Welcome to the blog.
I see the spinach as a more "delicate" taste. I think the ham might just over power it. But it won't hurt to try.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Carol
Thanks for the quick response. I tried a small handful in a sample bowl and just let the heat of the soup wilt it. Didn’t like the texture it added. I’ll leave well enough alone! Thanks for the great recipe.
Heather C
Super excited to have found this recipe! We make a ham along with turkey for Friendsgiving and I found your recipe yesterday - I appreciated the simplicity of it. I soaked the beans and let it sit all day in the crockpot. I used the immersion blender to make it a bit creamier - seriously the best soup ever. We are hot sauce people so we added a few dashes at the end and poured the soup over cornbread. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
DrDan
Hi Heather,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked so well for you.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Amy
Just made this and it was amazing. I did add about 1/2 cup of left over mashed potatoes the last 30 minutes and it thickened up perfectly. Definitely making again.
Lynne
What do you prefer to use : Northern beans or Navy beans- and why ? Love to hear everyone's responses as I am a new chef!
DrDan
Hi Lynne,
Welcome to the blog.
Old habits die hard and if using dry, I tend to grab Navy beans. If precooked, I tend to buy Great Northern.
The obvious difference is the size. Navy is a bit smaller and the Great Northern is slightly bigger and slightly firmer.
I think I prefer the Great Northern a bit due to size. But when cooking dry, the smaller Navy bean will cook a little faster and I'm sure it is done.
So no big preference for me.
Dan
Jonette
Used a honey baked ham bone, but the beans turned out too sweet. Any idea how to fix this?
DrDan
Hi Jonette,
Welcome to the blog.
Most of mine are honey baked for the "Honey Baked Ham Store". A lot of running water to rinse off the sugar and if there is crust on it, take a knife to it. Some brands get the sugar down into the cuts on the meat and it will be hard to get them clean.
You are right, you need to get as much of the sugar gone as possible.
Dan
Ash the Homelyhappychef
Hi Dr.Dan I have a ham bone from my family easter, I had removed almost all the meat, as much as possible anyway lol. It is mainly bone with a little bit of meat and not much fat on it from what I can tell. This is my first time making this soup, I remember it fondly from my early childhood. Would it still work with just the bone and some meat added?
DrDan
Hi Ash,
You do need some "meat on the bone" so if you stripped it, you don't have much to work with. You could try it by adding some ham from elsewhere like a slice of ham from the meat department. I'm not sure how well that would work. Or just wait until next time.
Melissa
I made this ham and bean soup for New Years Day. I made it with smoked ham hocks-it was absolutely fabulous. Super thick and tasty, effect for a winter day. I’m making it again tomorrow for my Community “Soup” Pot Luck. I’m sure it will be a major hit!! Thank you so much for such a GREAT recipe!! I’m now going to look at all of your other recipes as I believe they will be just as good.
DrDan
Hi Melissa,
It is one of my favorite soups.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Deborah Watson
I made this soup tonight with a good, meaty hambone that had been frozen from our Christmas ham. Ample bone and about 1 lb of meat. Instead of using 2 crockpots, I cooked the soup on high instead of low and added the hambone after about 1.5 hours of cooking. Total cooking time was 5.5 hours. I also did not soak the beans but picked through them, rinsed them andded them straight away. The meat gave the broth a great flavor and it needed only a small amount of salt at the end. My last alteration was removing 1/3 of the beans and 2 cups of broth to a medium sized, deep container and using an immersion blender to puree it smooth to add thickness and body to the finished product without using cream/ milk and flour or cornstarch. This is a definite make again! Excellent comfort food! It was served with fresh, hot cornbread.
DrDan
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Your thickening method is probably the preferred. At this point, I don't think corn starch is a good idea due to the trouble with reheating. Other options would be some potato flakes, tapioca or arrow root.
Thanks for the note.
Dan