Love a hearty soup made with beans? Try this easy Pasta E Fagioli soup, White Bean Soup with Bacon or this Tuscan White Bean Soup next! I’m on a soup kick (we aren’t surprised, are we?) and I’ve got another new one for you! This one is the perfect soup for holiday leftovers: Ham and Bean Soup! This delicious soup is so hearty and so flavorful and uses both the ham bone and leftover cooked ham. It can be made using canned beans or dried beans and can easily be customized to suit your tastes. Oh, and it takes just 15 minutes to prep! If you love this soup recipe, you’ll also enjoy this Hamburger Soup, this Potato Soup and this Easy Minestrone Soup!
Ingredients Needed:
Oil: you need just a little bit of oil to sauté the veggies before putting together the soup. I use canola oil but feel free to use your favorite cooking oil. Veggies: we’re creating a flavor base with the classic mirepoix trio—carrot, onion, and celery! Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor. Seasonings: this soup is so flavorful thanks to a blend of salt, dried thyme, dried parsley, and black pepper. You can swap these out for your favorite herbs if you want to. Water, Ham Bone, and Chicken Bouillon: water is the base for our soup, flavored with ham bone and chicken bouillon. I love to use Better than Bouillon, but any kind will work. If you don’t have a ham bone, you can grab a smoked ham hock from the grocery store — it will still add a ton of flavor! Beans: you’ll need 2 cans of white kidney beans. Don’t forget to drain and rinse! You can swap these out for another variety of bean if you prefer. Ham: use cooked, chopped ham. Add as much or as little as necessary depending on how meaty the bone is.
How to Make Ham and Bean Soup
This hearty soup takes just 15 minutes to prep!
Tips and Notes
You can use ham bone, ham hock, or ham shank. I like to use leftover ham bone from the holidays, but ham hock or ham shank also both work great. You want something that’s fully cooked or smoked. If the ham hock or shank has skin on, you can choose to either cut it off or leave it on (I usually cut it off). If the ham bone you use is quite meaty, you won’t need as much additional ham. If you don’t have ham bone, you will need a bit more. Just use your best judgement here! Be careful with the salt. Bouillon can be quite salty, so I recommend starting with less and adding more at the end if necessary. Don’t be afraid to add seasoning at the end if it’s not quite where you want it!
Variations for Ham and Bean Soup
Use dried beans. If you prefer, you can totally use dried beans for this recipe. I recommend soaking them overnight (or 2 hours minimum), then adding them to the soup with the ham bone. They will soak up more liquid, so keep an eye on it and add more water as necessary. Make it vegetarian. Just make it into bean soup! Leave out the ham bone and cooked ham and just add more beans, then swap the chicken bouillon out for veggie. Spice it up. Give the soup a kick of heat with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Ham and Bean Soup is plenty filling on its own, but it’s also great with a side dish! A few of my favorites are crusty buttered bread, cornbread, Roasted Potatoes, Dinner Rolls, Homemade Coleslaw.
More Leftover Ham Recipes to Try
Easy Ham Quiche Recipe
Ham and Cheese Sliders
Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole
White Chicken Lasagna with Ham and Spinach
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