This Ham and Bean Soup is so hearty and flavorful and the perfect way to use up any leftover ham! It's loaded with veggies, ham, white kidney beans, and so much flavor.
2canswhite kidney beans(540ml or 19oz each) drained and rinsed
1-2cupscooked, chopped ham***(optional -- depending on how much ham you have already)
Instructions
Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven (at least 5-6 quarts) on medium-high heat and add the oil.
Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic, salt, thyme, parsley and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute.
Add the water, ham bone and 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 1 hour (you can simmer even longer if you like, up to 2 hours, but the vegetables will get softer).
Remove the ham bone and pull the meat off. Shred with two forks. Stir the ham back into the soup along with the white beans and additional ham if using.
Heat through, taste and serve. (*Note that the added salt is on the low end because ham and bouillon can be quite salty. Before serving, continue to add salt in 1/2 teaspoon measurements, as well as additional bouillon if needed, until it tastes well-seasoned).
Video
Notes
*You can use either a leftover ham bone from the holidays (my preferred method, because nothing goes to waste!), a ham hock or ham shank. You are looking for something fully cooked or smoked. Ham hocks are cooked, pork hocks are not cooked. If you have lots of leftover ham to go with it, you may not need to add the additional ham in the last step. If the ham hock or shank has skin on, you can choose to either cut it off or leave it on.**I love Better than Bouillon but your preferred chicken bouillon will work great. It just helps to flavor our broth!***if your bone is quite meaty, you won't need as much. If you don't have a ham bone, you will need quite a bit more. Use your own judgement here.Tips and variations:
You can use dried beans for this recipe if you prefer! I recommend soaking overnight (or at least a couple hours), then adding them to the soup with the ham bone or ham hock. The dried beans will soak up more liquid as they cook, so keep an eye on it and add additional water as needed.