Ham and Bean Soup

Name: Ham and Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 490 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb dried great northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight; 2 cups diced cooked ham; 1 ham bone or ham hock (optional); 1 onion, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 2 celery stalks, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 6 cups chicken broth; 1 bay leaf; Salt and black pepper to taste

6 servings10 min prep480 min cookEasy

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Ham and Bean Soup

Story updated September 18, 2026

Bean-and-ham soups have long been a way to use a leftover ham bone, a practice common in American and European farmhouse cooking for centuries. Navy bean soup, a close relative, is famously said to have been served daily in the U.S. Senate dining room for over a century.

Ingredients

Scale:· 6 servings

1 lb dried great northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
2 cups diced cooked ham
1 ham bone or ham hock (optional)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1Drain the soaked beans and add them to the slow cooker along with the ham, ham bone if using, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
2Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaf.
3Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours, until the beans are tender and creamy.
4Remove the bay leaf and the ham bone, pulling any meat off the bone and stirring it back into the soup.
5Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mash a few beans against the side of the pot if you would like a thicker broth.

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