This hearty and flavorful ham and bean soup is the perfect way to use up a leftover holiday ham bone. Made with simple pantry staples, it is an easy and budget friendly dish.
Leftover Ham & Bean Soup
I remember my Granny would make soup with leftover holiday ham or turkey. This easy ham and bean soup is a recipe that is perfect for doing just that! It is made with just a handful of simple ingredients that if you don’t already have them in the pantry will probably only cost about $5 at the store.
Don’t let the short ingredient list fool you…this soup is bursting with flavor! The ham cooks slowly until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. Everything combines on the stovetop to create a hearty broth that is super satisfying, especially on a cool day. Not only that, but this soup is pretty good for you too!
Benefits of Ham & Bean Soup:
- Dried beans are high in protein and fiber.
- The complete soup is also a good source of vitamins and minerals, including iron, potassium, and magnesium.
- Adding vegetables amps up the nutritional value even more! (More about that in the Prep Tips section).
Another thing that is great about this recipe is that it is easy to make. While it does take a couple hours to cook, there are only a few steps to the recipe. Most of the time is simply the pot on the stovetop doing its thing. You can also customize this recipe to your own taste, with herbs and seasonings. I’ve included some ideas in the Prep Tips section.
Ingredients
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- 1 meaty ham bone
- 1 (20 oz) bag 15 bean soup mix + flavoring packet from bean package
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Dutch oven or stockpot
Instructions
- Add ham bone and 8 cups of water to a stock pot, cover and boil for 1 hour.
- Add the beans and seasoning packet, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to mix, then put the lid back on the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Remove the ham bone from the pot and cut the meat off the bone.
- Add the meat back to the pot, cover, and simmer for an additional hour.
When the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and serve with crackers or crusty bread for a complete meal.
Prep Tips
- Customize the flavor of your soup with fresh herbs — chopped fresh parsley, thyme, bay leaves. If using bay leaves or sprigs of thyme, you’ll want to remove them from the soup pot before serving.
- For an especially flavorful broth, you can replace some of the water with chicken broth.
- For a spicier soup, add some chili powder or cayenne pepper.
- If you’d like to add vegetables, celery, onions, and carrots are great options. Chop one stalk celery and a couple carrots and add them to the soup when you add the beans.
- You don’t have to wait for the holidays to pass by to make this dish! Ham hocks or ham shanks can be used for the ham bone in the recipe.
- If you want to use a leftover ham for soup, but don’t have the time to get to it right away, you can freeze your ham bone and thaw it out when you are ready to make your bean and ham soup. Once your ham dinner is finished, simply allow the ham bone to cool completely, then put it in a gallon size freezer Ziplock bag, get as much air out as you can, close it, and pop it in the freezer. The day before you plan to make soup, pull the ham bone from the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 15 Bean Soup?
15 Bean Soup is a product made by Hurst Beans containing 15 varieties of beans and a seasoning packet. These are the beans that are included in the mix: great northern beans, pinto beans, large lima beans, yelloweye beans, garbanzo beans, baby lima beans, green split peas, kidney beans, cranberry beans, small white beans, pink beans, small red beans, yellow split peas, lentils, navy beans, white kidney beans, and black beans.
However, you can use any similar bean mix that you have on hand or find at the grocery store. Different brands make different blends, so anything that says something like “13 Bean Soup” or “16 Bean Soup Starter” will work.
Do You Need To Soak Beans First?
One of the great things about this recipe is that there is no rinsing or soaking necessary! According to the Hurst Beans website (which actually provides a lot of interesting information about preparing beans): “Soaking is simply a way of beginning to rehydrate the dry beans and can also be done simply by cooking the beans with enough water/broth in the recipe.”
What If My Bean Mix Does Not Come With a Seasoning Packet?
If you don’t have the seasoning packet that came with your bean soup mix or if your bag did not have a seasoning packet, don’t worry! You can use a bouillon cube (in your favorite flavor) instead.
What Goes Well With Bean Soup?
This soup is hearty enough to be a stand-alone meal, but it also pairs perfectly with many things. Here are some of my favorites:
- Crusty bread:Â A slice of crusty bread is the perfect way to soak up the flavorful broth from the soup.
- Cornbread: Cornbread is a West Virginia staple and is also wonderful for soaking up the broth from the soup. The sweetness of the cornbread is the perfect compliment to the salty ham. Try this sweet cornbread recipe!
- Biscuits: Biscuits are a light and fluffy option that pairs well with soups. Try our copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bar Biscuit Recipe!
- Salad: Serve with a side salad for soup and salad night.
- Dessert: A slice of pie or cake is a delicious way to end the meal. In our family, we have a saying that there is always room for dessert! Try this classic Chocolate Depression Cake recipe for an authentic old-fashioned meal.
How Long Can You Keep Leftover Soup in the Fridge?
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, add to a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until warmed.
Soup can also be frozen for a longer storage time. When you’re ready to enjoy the leftovers, bring them down to the fridge to defrost overnight, then reheat on the stovetop.
More Classic Soup Recipes To Try
Stovetop Ham and Bean Soup Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Stovetop Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Stockpot or soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 1 bag 15 bean soup mix (20oz bag) + flavoring packet from bean package
- 8 cups water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Add ham bone and 8 cups of water to a stock pot, cover and boil for 1 hour.
- Add the beans and seasoning packet, garlic, salt and pepper. Put the lid back on the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Remove the ham bone from the pot and cut the meat off the bone.
- Add the meat back to the pot, cover, and simmer for an additional hour.
Notes
Nutrition
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