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Bowl of Easy Senate Bean Soup with navy beans, ham, and vegetables.

Classic White Bean Ham

A cozy, filling bean soup made with simple ingredients like ham and vegetables, perfect for using up leftovers.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: American
Calories: 300
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried white beans (navy beans or great northern beans) Soak overnight or do a quick soak.
  • 1 meaty bone ham bone or 1 to 2 ham hocks, or about 2 cups chopped cooked ham Use a ham bone for deeper flavor.
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped Optional for sweetness.
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 leaf bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 cups water or low sodium broth Add more as needed.
  • Salt to taste Added at the end.

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Prep the beans by soaking overnight or doing a quick soak by boiling them for 2 minutes, then letting them sit covered for 1 hour.
  2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Cooking
  1. Pour in the drained beans, add the ham bone or hocks, bay leaf, pepper, and water or broth.
  2. Bring it up to a gentle boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Partially cover and cook for 1.5 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
  3. When the beans are tender, pull out the ham bone or hocks. Let cool, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Discard bones and any fatty bits.
  4. For a thicker soup, scoop out 1 to 2 cups of beans, mash them, and stir them back in.
  5. Season with salt only if needed, as the ham can vary in saltiness.
Serving
  1. Serve hot with a simple piece of bread. If the soup thickens too much while sitting, add a splash of water when reheating.

Notes

This soup gets better with time and can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove.