This tasty Ham Bone Soup makes perfect use of a leftover ham hock. It’s hearty, delicious and sure to become a new family favorite!
Warm, fresh rolls like Potato Rolls or Homemade Crescent Rolls would be perfect for sopping up the deliciously creamy broth of this hearty ham and bean soup. This is perfectly lovely bowl of fall comfort food!
Hearty fall soup
It’s no secret we love soup in this house! Especially during fall, soups and chilis are a go-to to warm our bellies.
This ham and bean soup is a best-loved here. It’s an elevated version of one my mom use to make when I was little.
We typically had ham and bean soup after a large holiday meal where ham was the star ingredient. This recipe utilizes a left-over ham bone. Now the good news is you do not need to wait for a holiday meal to have this soup. You can easily use thick sliced ham, but a ham hock adds tons of flavor!
I love using a variety of colorful beans, which is a change from the soup of my youth. Back then we typically only used navy. I feel like the variety of beans elevates the dish a bit, adding color, texture variety, and flavor. This is one hearty and delicious soup!
Prepping Dried Beans
SOAK. Pour dry beans into a bowl or pitcher and cover with at least 2 inches of water above the beans to soak over night.
WATER LEVEL. Check to see if you need to add more water to keep the beans covered before going to bed.
Making Ham Bone Soup
BEANS. Drain the beans and then use fresh water to boil them for 10 minutes. Drain the beans again and then pour them into a slow cooker. Nestle the ham bone into the center of the beans. Add water until the beans are covered by an inch. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10.
VEGGIES. Half way through the cooking time, stir in the carrot, celery, onion and minced garlic.
HAM. With 15 minutes left of cook time, take out the bone, cut off any usable meat and add enough of the diced ham to total 2 cups.
SEASON + SERVE. Stir the meat in along with the salt and pepper to finish cooking.
Pressure Cook Beans
To save time instead of soaking your beans overnight you can use an Instant Pot to pressure cook them before adding to the soup.
FILL. Place seasoning and beans in pressure cooker. Cover with about 1 ½ inches of hot water over the level of the beans. Be sure to not fill the cooker over half way.
COOK. Cook for 22 to 30 minutes, depending on the variety. Allow pressure to release.
DRAIN. Drain immediately.
Recipe Tips
Do not add any salt to your soup until it is completely cooked. The hambone will give the soup a good amount of saltiness.
Freeze a leftover hambone to use to make this soup later. Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or store in a Ziploc freezer bag for 1-2 months.
Variations
- Good news for veggie lovers – add in your favorites such as diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn kernels, peas, green beans, etc.
- For a thicker consistency remove some of the soup prior to adding the diced ham and give it a few pulses with your regular or immersion blender. Return to the pot and mix it all together.
Storing Info
STORE leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
TO FREEZE leftovers make sure they have cooled completely first, then store in an airtight container or Mason jar leaving some room for expansion at the top. Leftover soup can be frozen for up to 3-6 months.
Defrost frozen soup in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a pot on the stove.
More hearty and delicious soups:
- Split Pea And Ham Soup
- Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
- Loaded Potato Soup
- Turkey Soup
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ham Bone Soup Recipe
Recommended Products
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs dry assorted beans - (I used a 20 oz bag of 15 bean soup mix)
- 1 ham bone or ham hock - (I used 15 oz)*
- 5 carrots - peeled and diced small
- 3 celery ribs - diced small
- 1 large onion - diced small
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1.5-2 cups ham steak - diced *
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Pour dry beans into a large bowl or pitcher and cover them with at least 2 inches of water above the beans to soak overnight. Check to see if you need to add more water to keep the beans covered before going to bed.
- Drain the beans and then use fresh water to boil them for 10 minutes.
- Drain the beans again and pour them into a slow cooker.
- Nestle the ham bone into the center of the beans.
- Add water until the beans are covered by an inch. Then, cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 until the beans are tender.
- Halfway through the cooking time, stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic.
- With 15 minutes left of cooking time, remove the bone, cut off any usable meat, and add enough of the diced ham to a total of 2 cups.
- Finally, stir the meat in along with the salt and pepper to finish cooking.
Loved it! Changed salt and pepper to 1/2 tsp each to suit our tastes. It was a big hit! Next time I will add extra ham earlier. I prefer the taste of the ham cooked the entire time on the bone. I typically do not care for ham & beans but this was a winner.
Hi Debra, thanks for sharing your changes and the 5 star review!
I love this recipe. It’s very hearty and so easy! My husband and toddler love it, too. The mixed beans are a great variation.
I made two slight modifications: one teaspoon of ground yellow mustard, and one half teaspoon of ground sage. It’s really good without those, though.