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If you're looking for a delicious soup to make with leftover ham, be sure to check out this old fashioned ham and bean soup recipe – SO good!
Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup
 A friend of mine mentioned cooking up some bean soup a few days ago, and I decided I had to try it out!  If you have ham left over from Easter or a ham hock in your freezer, this is a great one to make up.
I ran out to grab the ingredients and was so surprised that this was a very economical meal 🙂
If you're looking for a yummy hearty soup that won't bust your grocery budget, try this one out.  (And it's PERFECT with cornbread too . . . yummmmmm!)
Ham & Bean Soup Ingredients:
- northern beans
- pork hocks or a ham bone
- celery
- onion
- thyme
- salt
- pepper
- bay leaf
How to make Ham & Bean Soup on the stove top:
Start by placing your ham bone or pork in 3 cups of water and add your celery, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, then remove from heat. Take the meat out and let it cool.
Once the bone is cooled from your hock, remove any meat and discard the bone. Slightly mash the beans in the sauce pan and return the meat to the pan.
Heat through and enjoy!
Old Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz Northern Beans Canned
- 3 Cups Water
- Smoked Pork Hocks or Meaty Ham Bone Use 1 1/2 smoked pork hocks or 1 1/2 pound ham bone
- 1.5 Cups Celery
- 1 Cup Onion
- 3/4 tsp Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Place ham bone or pork in 3 cups water.
- Add celery, onion, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
- Cover & simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat, take ham or pork out and let cool.
- Once bone is cooled, remove any meat and discard the bone.
- Slightly mash beans in saucepan and return meat to pan.
- Heat through, makes four large servings.
Don't forget to serve this with some homemade cornbread and mustard (that's the BEST way!).
Here's my confession: we did not return the meat to the pan because it really didn't look all that appetizing to me. I think leftover ham would be delicious, but I just couldn't put the pork hock meat back in the pan! If you've ever made bean soup before, what kind of meat do you use and do you include it? This is a new one for me!
Find more meals to try with leftover ham right over here 🙂
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I just wanted to let you know that i have always used a pound of bacon and it is absolutely super delicious! I par boil the bacon just to remove some of the bacon grease, then add to the beans – yum yum – kids can’t get enough. My 12 year old favorite saying is “everything is better with bacon”! This recipe i picked up at some little restaurant while we were on vacation and they bring a big pot of it out to every table as soon as they seat you. Was so good had to inquire :o)
I use the ham bone with plenty of ham still attached or throw in a big hunk of leftover ham when I make ham and beans. If you use dried (rinsed/soaked as per bag directions) beans and cook for 3 hours, the beans soften so they don’t have to be mashed and the ham gets so tender that the meat easily falls apart from the bone, tendons, fat, etc. Switch to split peas for a sweeter tasting soup or leave out thyme/bay leaf for a more traditional ham and bean dish. I add diced carrot to both for an extra serving of vegetables, too. Such a delicious way to use leftover ham – and good call on serving cornbread on the side, Laurie. SO good!
We do make Soup Beans and Cornbread. I’ve used ham hock, smoked turkey legs, smoked turkey wings, leftover ham bone. To me, the meat takes on a weird flavor and texture from being cooked for so long. But my dad grew up on this stuff and loves the meat in it.
Thanks for the tips Candi – I think maybe I could handle ham (like the nice honey baked kind), but I couldn’t do the pork hock today! (Glad I’m not the only one- and it did flavor the meat without the added calories I guess!)