You’ve got a leftover ham bone, but not sure what to do with it? There is nothing much more classic then ham and white bean soup. Use up that holiday ham bone with this traditional soup.
On my “bucket list” of cooking stuff has been to start using dry beans. Not a really big thing but just something to start doing. This was a great recipe to start with. And if you’re on a budget it makes this soup extremely cheap considering you were going to toss that ham bone.
I combined about five recipes and methods so no inspiration piece. Most recipes use chicken broth all or part of the liquid. As pointed out to me by some previous commenters, cooking the ham bone like this is somewhat like making your own ham broth. No chicken broth needed.
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. They, like me, want a thicker bean soup. I went with the low end of 6 cups. It did not completely cover the ham but was just right.
My Rating
A nice solid four.
Why to Soak Dry Beans
About soaking dry beans. 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 frequent 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 not. 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 which produce 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.
Notes on Salt:
Hambone (and hams) vary a lot. So this is like many recipes… guidelines and not rules. If yours is honey coated or spiced heavily you need to rinse as much of that off as possible. Salt note: Most hams have LOTS of salt. Don’t add any until you’re sure you need it.
A veggie note:
the carrot and celery are an option, but I thought made it more interesting.
To use precooked beans:
This recipe will be fine with precooked beans if you don’t want to go the dried bean route. The 1 pound of dry will equal approximately three cans or one 48 oz jar of precooked beans. You can drain the beans or decrease the water by 2 cups of you go this route. Please use low sodium.
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. See notes if using precooked beans.
Under running water rinse any coating off a meaty ham bone. Also, scrap off any surface fat that you can. Add to a larger crock pot.
Dice 2 medium carrots, two stalks celery, and one medium onion. Carrot and celery are options but recommended.
Add the drained 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 water.
Cook on low for 10 hours total but at about 8 hours 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.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 600 minutes |
|
|
| You've got a leftover ham bone, but not sure what to do with it? There is nothing much more classic then ham and white bean soup. Use up that holiday ham bone with this traditional soup.
|
- 1 pound dry navy beans or great northern; see note about precooked beans
- 1 ham bone meaty
- 2 carrots medium - diced - optional
- 2 stalks celery - diced - optional
- 1 onion medium - diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 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. See notes if using precooked beans.
- Under running water rinse any coating off a meaty ham bone. Also, scrap off any surface fat that you can. Add to a larger crock pot.
- Dice 2 medium carrots, two stalks celery, and one medium onion. Carrot and celery are options but recommended.
- Add the drained 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 water.
- Cook on low for 10 hours total but at about 8 hours 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.
Notes:
Ham bone (and hams) vary a lot. So this is like many recipes... guidelines and not rules. If yours is honey coated or spiced heavily you need to rinse as much of that off as possible. Salt note: Most hams have LOTS of salt. Don't add any until you're sure you need it.
This recipe will be fine with precooked beans if you don't want to go the dried bean route. The 1 pound of dry beans will equal approximately three cans or one 48 oz jar of precooked beans. You should drain the beans or decrease the water by 2 cups of you go this route. I suggest decreasing the water but please use low sodium beans.
________________________________
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
April 22, 2017
Nutrition is always somewhat of a guess, but the fat here is so variable. This is my best guess.
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
plantcrone
Great take on the typical “Senate Bean Soup” that my mom and grand mother made. I liked the emphasis on low sodium and, like the author, have decided to use dried beans rather than more expensive (and highly processed) canned beans.
I used several healthy twists of ground black pepper, a tsp of chili pepper flakes and a shake of hot chili powder to spice it up a bit..I thought it was a tad too bland for my spice loving family.
I’d always used chicken or vegetable broth in my ham bone soup before but this time I let the ham bone and ham do the flavoring of the 6 C of water and didn’t notice the difference.
Appreciate your easy crock pot version of this American Staple.
DrDan
Thanks for the note. It is a bit bland like most ham/bean soups so your additions are a good idea if you want a little more spice. To me, that bland ham and bean taste is childhood…
In one of my previous ham bone soups, a commenter suggested that the broth was not needed. I now agree.
Again thanks for the comment and rating.
DrDan
Elane
Hi Dr. Dan,
Just found your site while I was looking for a healthier carrot cake. So I have been scrolling through your recipes and admiring your wonderful dogs. I saw this recipe and I thought I would let you know that I like using smoked turkey parts to make the soup when a ham bone is unavailable. It works out great! Oh yeah, can’t wait to try your carrot cake!!! I like your site, thank you and love your dogs.
Lorrie
Great recipe, I add smoked ham hocks and the ham bone. My mom always used the smoked ham hocks.
Naya
I need some help with spics to put in my great northern beans. The only veggies I have are cucumbers and green bell peppers. I have two of each. The spices I have are Cajun seasoning, kosher salt, table salt, sugar, paprika, oregano leaf, crushed red pepper, smoked paprika, ground cumin, tarragon leaves, thyme leaves, and chili powder. I usually use brown sugar but was not able to get it this time around. Please help as soon as you are able. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
DrDan
Given those choice… none would be my choice. Don’t add any sugar of any type. And ham usually has too much salt to begin with. None of the other spices or veggies do much for me.
Hopefully you have some pepper. It will be nice without the veggies and other spices. If you like spicy then a pinch of the crushed red pepper since it is a bit bland anyways.
DrDan
Dustin
Dr. Dan,
Just finished prepping this recipe. It is now cooking on low in the crockpot. In substitution of the six cups of water, I used the four cups of remaining juices that cooked off the spiral ham I cooked two days ago for Thanksgiving. Then I added another four cups of water. Looking forward to trying this rendition of a childhood favorite with the added carrots, celery, and onion. Will let you know how it turns out.
Dawn
Made this today! I’ve never made a bean soup like this before. It only took me 8 total hours to cook. It really needs to be seasoned at the end. I added garlic, salt, pepper, and Cayenne Pepper. Very good!
DrDan
Hi Dawn,
Yep this is a bland soup and seasoning to taste at the end is a good idea. The salt especially should wait to the end since many ham’s have lots of salt already.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Gigi Schultz
Dr. Dan
I’ve made a similar soup like this ages ago and couldn’t remember the ingredients. Thank you for reminding me! This soup is simple and wonderful. For a little more flavor I add about a cup of V8-juice or tomato juice and a shake or two of Tabasco sauce at about the 8th hour of cooking. Now on to my fabulous ham bone I have thawing on the counter next to my soaking beans and ready to get cooking!
Carole Milligan
My husband asked me to make ham bone and bean soup today. I found this post for your recipe, and it looks like an ideal recipe for the crockpot. I’ll add spices at the end, as you and others suggest. Thanks!
Carole Milligan
I made this yesterday, and it turned out very well. At the end, I added garlic powder and fresh ground pepper, as well as more ham. Delicious! Thank you for this easy recipe.
Joan Holschuh
Ina, I have never made ham an bean soup before. I have this great ham bone an decided to look at you site for a recipe. My husband’s mom always made soup with the ham bone an he thought it was a great idea. I will try it in the next day or two. Thanks Joan
Theresa
Do you set the crock pot on low price high?
Theresa
Sorry, I meant low OR high.
DrDan
Low and I just edited to make it more apparent. Thanks for the note.
Dan
Barry
The recipe is great with onion, celery, and carrots. One more thing my mother always put in
was diced potatoes.
Ida
My husbands beloved Aunt always made great ham and bean soup. This is my second try and it looks delicious. My question is can I add potatoes to this or will it ruin it? I am making it tomorrow. Thank you!
DrDan
The potato should be fine. Put it in with the carrots. I think two medium diced would be about right but just guessing there.
DrDan
Monica
Wonderful recipe! Thanks!
Maxine G
I followed your recipe but added a can of stewed tomatoes The seasoning in the tomatoes gives the soup a nice flavor. I also put a few cups of the cooked soup in the blender and added it back into the crockpot to thicken it up a bit and give it a nice consistency. Great recipe and so easy to use the crock pot!
Cherie
What size crock pot would you recommend? I have a 5 quarter crock and I don’t think I could have fit all of this in it.
DrDan
At least 6 qt due to the ham size.
Dan
RossC
Just made slow cooker navy beans w/ham hock last week, pretty much the same as your recipe..
Navy beans and ham hock was a staple growing up in our family.. My grandmother made a big batch on the stove top once a week.. I too make it in the slow cooker now-a-days and its pretty close to hers..
When I was a kid (back in the 40’s) my grandfather taught me to mash the beans and ham together and add a splash of ketchup and mix it all together… Still do it to this day and my wife still rolls her eyes when I do so…
DrDan
You know if my wife saw me do that she would slap me up not just roll the eyes. I loved ham soup as a child. I think I even asked for it for my birthday once. In this recipe I even did the dried beans but I don’t find any rocks in them like old times.
Again thanks for the note and rating
Dan
Marion
Bean soup is one of my favorites! To use smoked turkey necks in a crock pot,if I mix all the ingredients at the start, will the turkey necks get done when the rest of the soup does ?
DrDan
Since I have never seen or hear of a “smoked turkey neck” I will guess. Almost anything will be cooked by 8-10 hours in a crock pot. I assume they are smoked to preserve them so they are not raw meat but even raw turkey should be cooked in the 8-10 hours.
How is that for an uninformed answer?
If you do it, come back and report.
DrDan
Pauk
I already knew how to make this soup but I did not have a hambone planning of him though so I came here looking for ideas on how to thicken it up one of the other people left the comment that they took some of the ham and beans and put in a blender to help thicken it that is a good idea
Leslie
I plan on making your lunch lady rolls in my new kitchen aid mixer and this soup, however the only dried bean I have is pinto, can I use them is this recipe? Thank you
DrDan
I believe pinto will be similar to the navy beans but I’m not positive.
Dan
Leslie
Followed your recipe, only I used pinto beans (that’s all I had at home), tasted great and not bland. Thankyou
Keith C
Just made recipie as is but also added some fresh oregano I had lying around. Fantastic! Finally a great outlet for all that left over ham!
Hope
My soup is turning out very watery. Any advice?
DrDan
Hi Hope,
You’re right this can be a bit watery so here are some options. 1) less water…. A lot of recipes use 10 cups and I only do 6. Plus you need to cover the ham mostly. 2) More beans… A fairly good solution and use a potato masher a little near the end of cooking…Just a little. 3) add potatoes diced at the beginning as one other commenter suggests. The starch will help thick some. 4) Along the same line as #3 add some mashed potato flacks near the end. 5) something like arrowroot or cornstarch can be used.
Notice I did not include flour. I have never had any luck thicken in a crock pot with flour even when cooked on high. Flour needs a higher temp to thicken then arrowroot or cornstarch and I believe none of my three crock pots run that hot. I will say that arrowroot and cornstarch are not my favorite choices above because on reheating they do not do very well.
So numbers 2,3 or 4
DrDan
Shelia
try instant potato flakes.
Hope
Does cooking it on high make a difference? I didn’t have 10 hours to wait only 8. It’s on hour 5 right now
DrDan
I suspect high is ok for a shorter time of course. Make sure the beans are done.
DrDan
Goose
Here’s my take: We like BIG beans in our soups, so I used a pound of dried Limas in your recipe. However, by the time that all the ham cooks off the bones (and I used TWO), much of those original dry beans cook down into gravy, so I add a can or two of prepared Great Northerns at the end. I also left out the carrots this time.
Also, by the time the soup has finished, I have added nearly double the cups of liquid, as it cooks down and concentrates. I started with 4 cups water and 1 cup chicken broth, and probably ended up with 4 cups of each, for a nicely savory and concentrated soup.
I pack the extra finished soup into freezer cartons, as there are just the two of us (as the blog is so titled!), so we can enjoy it later. What soup I keep fresh, and what I thaw out later, will be cut with more chicken broth (or perhaps vegetable broth … to avoid losing that great ham flavor!) and perhaps another can of prepared beans, as needed, since the finished soup is well-concentrated.
I agree with you that salt must be added exceedingly sparingly, only as required … and I did end up adding it again and again … as it was bland at first, as you mentioned … right up until the end. The salt was added only ¼ tsp at a time. I used both large crystal kosher-type salt, and also Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. This really did the trick, without wildly missing the mark, and going overly salty.
I also added Liquid Smoke, ⅛ tsp at a time, until the combination of the added salt and Liquid Smoke began to make the near-finished soup savory. I perhaps ended up using ½ tsp total. But, work up to it! The dry beans being cooked down into gravy also adds to the soup’s savory-ness.
Based on my result, I give your recipe a solid 5 out of 5! But, one’s got to have the patience to cook down those ham bones and those dry beans, sparingly adding flavor along the way! Mine easily cooked for 10 hours, and probably more than 12, until the ham was cooked completely off the bone.
DrDan
Hi Goose
Thanks for the comments. As you well know, recipes are just “guidelines” and should be modified according to taste and things like ham bones. Your hard work has paid off with a ton of great soup.
And thanks for the rating.
Dan
Erica
Can’t figure out why you would rinse off any honey coating or spices. The sweetness makes ham and bean soup good.
DrDan
To me, there is way too much sugar on many hams and anything you can do to get the salt decreased here is a good thing.
Dan
Jennifer
On the soak or not-to-soak issue.
Soaking reduces the phytic acid content of the beans. Phytic acid is not denatured by cooking, only by water soak. I always soak oats and beans for this reason. You can look up the problems caused by too much phytic acid – but here is my personal story. We had oats (unsoaked) for breakfast almost every morning to save money one year. My otherwise healthy children (no sodas, no sugar in the house, very health conscious family) had 5 cavities and a ton of precavities by the end of the year. I figured out it was the oatmeal. Or rather, the phytic acid in the oatmeal. We stopped eating it so often, and when we do, I soak it overnight or use it in refrigerator oats with yogurt. My children have had zero cavities in the 4 years since that.
DrDan
The doctor in me says that you had calcium issues due to a large amount of chronic phytic acid intake. The occasional intake would not be much of an issue, but the ongoing phosphorous intake could well be the cause of a lot of calcium issues. You did excellent in figuring that one out. I have read more recipes recently suggesting not to soak but still I would. The old ways are the best ways some times.
Thanks for the note and reminding me of biochemistry from 40 yrs ago.
DrDan
Susan Downey
Hi!
I found your recipe yesterday when I looked up recipes for ham and navy beans soups. I used a smoked pork hock and added 1 TBSP hand crushed Newfoundland Savory to the recipe.
It turned out Awesome! Not too salty and it had a great balance of flavours. I did not need to add any extra water as I have a crock pot with a lock down lid.
My husband enjoyed every bite!
DrDan
Hi Susan,
This is one of those recipes that just works and adapts to individual taste changes.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Brittany
Wanted to give this 5/5 rating, could not find the place to eye it! Excellent recipe!
DrDan
Thanks Brittany,
The rating is by clicking a star in the recipe card area.
Dan
Sarah
My crock pot isn’t large enough, how would I adapt it to the stovetop?
DrDan
I haven’t done a stovetop version for about 20 years so I’m not much help. I would say a stovetop version will probably cook much faster since low simmer on a stovetop is high plus a little in a crock pot. I would look at some other recipes.
Good luck,
Dan
Shelia
this is close to the recipe I always use, but I add a can of tomatoes (and sometimes potato to thicken it some). I’m making this this weekend using my New Years Day hambone. Yum.
DrDan
Hi Shelia,
Thanks for the note. I have done this with the can of tomatoes and it adds a nice touch.
I think I need to keep some instant potatoes around for crockpot thickening emergencies.
Dan
Laura
This was an excellent base recipe. I made a few seasoning modifications to suit our tastes and used a few more carrots, celery and onion. Delicious. Thank you. I didn’t know where to start and this was perfect.
DrDan
Hi Laura,
Recipes are always just “guidelines” anyway. Great modifications.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Nancy
Great recipe and similar to my own. I add a couple of small potatoes to absorb some of the salt. A jalapeño pepper also adds some great flavor and and little heat. I like my soup a little thicker and creamier, so I take about a half cup of soup, add a little milk and cornstarch and blend it together and return to soup to finish cooking. No salt is ever needed.
Tammy
This is very good. I will never throw out a ham bone again.
DrDan
Hi Tammy
I grew up never wasting anything so tossing the hambone is just wrong.
Thanks so much for the note.
Dan
Jennifer Szalach
Delicious! My husband and I absolutely loved this recipe, we will definitely be making this again!
Jane Montello
Made the bean soup and it turned out great. My mom (who has passed away and left no written instructions) used her leftover bean soup to make baked beans. I have been unable to find such a recipe on the internet. Do you have one? I am going to try to adapt various baked bean recipes using the leftover soup, but would love to get your take on it. Thank you. Your site is wonderful for cooking for 2.
DrDan
Hi Jane, Thanks for the note. I have not heard of doing that. It seems like the liquid to bean ratio would be off but you could drain some. I guess I would drain the liquid, call the ham as bacon. then add the ketchup/BBQ sauce, onion and other things. Honestly, I have not found a baked bean recipe I really like. I find most of them way too sweet for my taste. The best I have had is at Marlowe’s in Memphis but they don’t publish their recipe.
Dan
Robert
My ex wife made very good bean soup using smoked turkey (I’m a heart patient) but she also made dumplings using Bisquick. She made her soup on the stove and added the dumplings just before serving. This also added some thinking to the soup. She also add carrots and onions.
DrDan
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the note. I can see it now…
Dan
Marsha
Really good recipe! I followed your recipe and used the ingredients you suggested, using 4 carrots and 3 celery per my family’s taste. Took 8 hours on low, after soaking the beans for about 8 hours. I actually kept the beans covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days before I cooked the soup today and they came out the very right consistency. I had to add more seasoning at the end but did not add any salt to this soup. Thank you! I will be trying more 😀
Mark
Ham bone is really cheap now. I might have to pick one up and give this one a try.
DrDan
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the note. I have a Honey Baked in the mail now for the weekend. So I’m doing this next week.
Dan
Gillian
Oh My!!! Made this soup today and boy was it delicious. As with every dish I usually make, I start with a basic recipe and make it my own but I always give credit where credit is due. So the only changes I made were to use homemade chicken stock, fresh thyme, fresh garlic and fresh parsley. I also added about a half cup to three quarter cup of finely diced butternut squash because I love it in most of my soups as a natural, slightly sweet, thickener. Plus its another sneaky veggie my kid wouldn’t eat otherwise. I threw in a couple diced potatoes at the end along with a tsp or so of seasoned salt. I’m very close to saying that this is now my absolute favorite bean soup. Thanks for sharing.