Bean Soup With Ham

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/20/21
Bean Soup With Ham

The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 30 mins
Soak Time: 4 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Yield: 16 cups

This navy bean soup is a simple dish made with diced ham from a baked ham dinner (or a leftover ham bone) and dried navy beans. It's hearty enough to serve as a lunch or supper soup, and because it's budget-friendly you can feed a crowd without sacrificing flavor or quality.

It's a versatile dish, so use any dry beans that you have at hand, like great northern, soldier, pinto, appaloosa, cranberry, or another variety. Add some carrots or a handful of chopped greens for extra color, texture, and flavor. Although it's delicious enough prepared with just water, use part unsalted vegetable broth or chicken stock for an additional flavor profile. Check our tips below for a variation with chunky tomatoes.

Serve this bean soup with cornbread, cornbread muffins, corn sticks, freshly baked biscuits or crusty rolls for a traditional Southern dinner.

For the slow-cooked version, check our crockpot navy bean and ham soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound navy beans (or another variety of bean)

  • 2 quarts water

  • 2 ham hocks (or a meaty leftover ham bone or shank)

  • 1 cup chopped ham, optional

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion

  • 1/2 cup chopped celery

  • 1/2 cup diced carrots, optional

  • 2 dried bay leaves

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for navy bean soup

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  2. Wash the navy beans thoroughly and pick them over. Discard any damaged or malformed beans and look for small stones.

    Wash navy beans

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  3. Pour the beans into a very large pot and add 2 quarts of water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a full boil; let boil for 3 minutes.

    water and beans in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  4. Remove from the heat and let beans soak for 2 to 4 hours.

    water and beans in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  5. Add the ham hocks or ham bone to the pot with the soaked beans and their cooking water and bring to a simmer.

    hamhocks with water and beans in the pto

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  6. Continue to cook over low heat until the beans are tender, or about 90 minutes.

    beans and meat cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  7. Remove the bones and chop the ham, discarding the bones and fat. Reserve the ham on the side.

    ham hocks removed from the pot, on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  8. Return the chopped ham to the pot. Add the onions, bay leaf, celery, and optional carrots to the pot, as well as the extra leftover chopped ham, if using.

    meat, vegetables and beans in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  9. Add enough water or unsalted vegetable stock to make about 16 cups of liquid. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper, as needed.

    spices added to the bean mixture in the pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  10. Cook the soup for about 30 minutes to one hour, or until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has thickened a little.

    Bean Soup With Ham in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Soak Overnight

  • If you prefer to soak your beans overnight, there's no need to boil the water first. Wash and pick the beans as instructed in step 2 of the recipe, put them in a bowl with 2 quarts of water, and leave at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. But remember, if you're soaking overnight, it's best to rinse the beans and start the cooking process with fresh water instead, as the soaking water after 12 hours contains indigestible sugars that create gas during digestion.

Flavoring Your Soup

If you want to try different flavors for our recipe, we recommend adding one or two of the following:

  • Add 1 clove of minced garlic to the soup alongside the vegetables.
  • Add two 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes to the soup alongside the vegetables.
  • Add fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano, but do pick out the sprigs of herbs before serving.
  • Add 4 cups of collard greens, spinach, or baby kale 20 minutes before the cooking time is over.
  • To make a very thick soup, add 1 cubed day-old baguette to the soup when you add the vegetables.
  • Grate a good amount of Parmesan cheese on top of each serving bowl and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
76 Calories
1g Fat
11g Carbs
5g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 45mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 37mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 205mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)