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Hearty Leftover Ham Bone and Bean Soup

A steaming white bowl filled with thick Ham and Bean Soup, topped with diced ham pieces.
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Turn your post-holiday ham bone into a soul-satisfying, classic navy bean stew. This recipe is simple, comforting, and makes the most of your leftovers.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large leftover ham bone (with meat attached)
  • 1 pound dried navy beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed
  • 8 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. If you have time, soak the dried beans overnight in water. Drain them before starting the soup. If you skip soaking, you will need to increase the simmering time.
  2. Place the ham bone, rinsed beans, water or broth, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme, and pepper into a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and let it simmer gently.
  4. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beans are completely tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.
  5. Remove the ham bone from the pot. Once cool enough to handle, shred all the usable meat from the bone and discard the bone and any large pieces of fat or gristle.
  6. Return the shredded ham meat to the soup. Stir well. If you prefer a thicker soup, mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon, then stir them back in.
  7. Taste the soup and add salt only if necessary, as the ham bone usually adds enough saltiness. Simmer for another 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine.
  8. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Ladle the ham and bean soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot with cornbread.

Notes

  • For a richer flavor, use half water and half chicken broth as your liquid base.
  • If you do not have a ham bone, you can substitute 1 pound of smoked ham hock or 1 cup of diced smoked ham, adding salt to taste near the end.
  • This navy bean stew freezes very well for future easy meals.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookerykings.com/ham-and-bean-soup-recipe/