Deliciously Simple Ham & Bean Soup
Pre-soak the beans the night before to make this classic, a super easy and delicious soup packed with fibre and protein.
Ingredients
Soak the beans
- 2 cups great northern beans dry, uncooked; see notes
- 6 cups cold water
Making the Soup
- 1 tbsp bacon fat or other oil
- 1 onion medium, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 celery stalks large, diced
- 2 carrots large, diced
- soaked navy beans
- 2-3 cups leftover ham chopped
- 2 tbsp Better than Bouillon Chicken
- 4-8 cups water
- 1 tsp salt*
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
To do the night before: soak the beans
- Measure out 2 cups navy beans into strainer or colander and rinse with cold water.
- Toss out out any non-bean bits and pour remaining beans into a medium bowl. Add enough cold water to cover beans plus about an inch.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
- Before using, drain and gently rinse softened beans.
Soup instructions
- Add bacon fat (for optimal flavour) or oil to soup pot, turn heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Stir and cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add beans, ham, 4 cups water, Better than Bouillon, salt, and black pepper, stir. Add more water if needed. Cover and let come to a simmer.
- Lower temp so just above a simmer and cook for 2 hours or more, adding more water as needed.
Notes
You can use other white beans, but we prefer great northern's taste and texture, with navy beans second.
If you opt to substitute ham hocks or other high salt ham, leave the salt out until the soup has cooked for an hour, then taste and salt to taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 10gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 934mgPotassium: 208mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2043IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg