This Bean and Ham Soup is one of those timeless comfort meals that instantly makes a house feel like home. It’s simple, hearty, and perfect for chilly nights, busy days, or using up leftover holiday ham. With tender beans, savory ham, and a flavorful broth, every bowl tastes like it’s been handed down through generations.
Did you grow up with ham and bean soup as a standard meal offering? You may have used a ham hock like I am today, or maybe some leftover ham pieces. Either way, it works! I had some ham and bean soup with cornbread on the side for my recent dinner out. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d better update this post to remind all my readers how delicious that combination can be.
Our family likes simple recipes. Let me know what else you add to your homemade soup to make it more flavorful, add color, or make it healthier.
Today, I put this soup in the slow cooker since I’ve found that approach frees up some time, prompts a consistent cooking temperature for the meat, and I’m confident the beans and veggies will be fully cooked.
I have a busy day planned, so I can get the things I need done while dinner cooks. First, I chopped onions, celery, and carrots, then sprinkled them over the ham hock. Next, I added some chicken broth I had in the pantry, but I have also used plain water. Add some spices and you have a delicious soup that everyone will enjoy.
History of Bean and Ham Soup
Bean and Ham Soup has roots that stretch back centuries, grounded in practicality, preservation, and comfort. Long before refrigeration, families relied on salted or cured meats especially ham hocks and bones to stretch meals through the winter months. Pairing these with inexpensive, shelf-stable dried beans created a nourishing dish that could simmer all day over the hearth, feeding large households with very little.
Across early America, this combination became a staple on farms and in pioneer kitchens. Beans were easy to grow and store, while no part of a butchered animal went to waste including the ham bone, which flavored soups beautifully. In many regions, this soup became known as a “washday” or “Sunday” soup because it could cook slowly with minimal attention.
Navy Bean and Ham Soup, in particular, earned a special place in history. In the early 1900s, the U.S. Navy adopted a simple recipe of beans, ham, and aromatics as a standard meal served aboard ships so consistently, in fact, that “Navy Bean Soup” became a menu tradition still honored today in some government cafeterias.
Immigrant communities also shaped the recipe. European traditions such as French cassoulet, German eintopf, and British pease porridges brought the idea of legumes simmered with pork. As these cooking methods blended with American ingredients, Bean and Ham Soup evolved into countless regional variations.
Today, the dish remains beloved because it represents the best of resourceful cooking: humble ingredients transformed into hearty, comforting bowls of flavor. Whether made with a leftover holiday ham bone or a simple ham hock, Bean and Ham Soup is a delicious reminder of how heritage, thrift, and home cooking come together in one timeless pot.
Ham And Bean Soup
Items You May Need In Your Kitchen
In case you missed this post, How To Make Cornbread From Scratch
Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Fill The Slow Cooker
Add the canned beans 2 hours before serving. Yes, you can use dried beans, but I have some canned ones for today. You can add Navy Beans, White Beans, or Kidney Beans. I used only Navy Beans today.
One thing I learned from a friend is that she adds Sweet Basil to all her soups. That’s one of the best things I’ve ever learned. I use it all the time when making any soup.
Yesterday, Mark and I had some friends over for ham, mashed potatoes, peas, and jello with a can of fruit cocktail. I had some yummy sourdough bread to serve with it, too. After we finished eating, two of the women said to me, “What are you going to do with that ham hock?”
You have to laugh because you know we all like to make soup with it. I mentioned I would be making ham and bean soup today. You gotta love it!
Do you remember your family serving ham and bean soup when you were growing up? My mom would add another can or two of the beans to make the soup stretch to serve more people in case an unexpected guest showed up at the door. I highly recommend storing beans in a dry place or in cans. We will use them, I promise.
If you’ve read many of my posts over the years, you know I consider beans one of the basic food storage items we all should have in our pantries or on our long-term storage shelves. They come in handy for so many meals, and they can be stored longer than many other staples we like to keep on hand.
Optional Add-Ins
- Diced potatoes
- A can of diced tomatoes
- A splash of vinegar for brightness
- Fresh parsley
Ham And Bean Soup
Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ham hock or some leftover ham pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 stocks of celery, chopped
- 1-2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 32-ounce carton chicken broth
- Sweet Basil to taste
- Parsley to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 16-ounce cans White Navy Beans, drained
Instructions
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I used a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker today.
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Place the ham hock or ham pieces in the slow cooker.
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Sprinkle the vegetables over the meat.
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Add the broth and spices.
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Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Add the beans two hours before serving. Heat through and serve. This soup freezes well.
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Add the beans two hours before serving. Heat through and serve. This soup freezes well.
Cornbread Recipe
Do you love homemade cornbread served with your ham and bean soup? I’ve grown to love cornbread. I not only enjoy its flavor but also that it can be added to so many meals to provide the special touch I want.
Cornbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white flour (I use bread flour)
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to (425°F) = (218°C)
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Grease an 8-inch cast-iron pan or 9-inch round cake pan.
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I would place the cast-iron pan in the oven to heat while you mix all the ingredients.
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I combined all other dry ingredients in a medium bowl to evenly distribute them.
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Then I added the melted butter, the egg, buttermilk, and the sour cream.
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Then you mix thoroughly, but do not overmix.
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Remove the cast-iron pan from the oven.
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Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
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Serve warm with butter or honey butter.
Can You Use Different Kinds of Beans in this Soup?
As mentioned above, beans are a very versatile and healthy ingredient in soups. I think the bean you use in your ham and bean soup is a matter of personal preference. I hadn’t realized it, but there is actually a 15-Bean Soup that some people say is very delicious. I have a lot of beans in my pantry, but I’d be hard-pressed to come up with 15 varieties.
As cooler temperatures set in with the winter months ahead, be creative with your soup meal plans and try various types to experience the many flavors and textures within the bean family. You’ll probably end up with a bunch of “favorites.”
Are There Other Cornbread Recipes to Try?
If you were to go to the internet today, you’d see a whole bunch of cornbread recipe offerings. I guess in some circles it’s a common source of debate over meal prep. Some like the Southern Cornbread version, which is often made with bacon grease, contains more cornmeal, may include butter, and is usually baked in a cast-iron skillet.
It’s Northern or Yankee Cornbread’s cousin; it often has a regular-flour component, a touch of sugar, and can include other ingredients, like an egg, to change the flavor and texture.
If you like your cornbread to be less crumbly and hold its shape and texture better, you may want to steer more towards the Yankee recipe.
Also, note that cornbread flour is available in white or yellow varieties. I think they taste pretty much the same, but you MIGHT find the texture slightly different. Give both a try and see what you think.
How Long Can I Store My Leftovers?
I try to make the soup recipes I write about so there’s little leftover. You for sure need to put any soup leftovers in the fridge. They should be fine there for a few days, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them a week or longer.
If you don’t eat them in the next few days, consider freezing them. They should be suitable for a few months if frozen in air-tight containers. The meat is especially susceptible to spoilage, so if you have leftover soup containing meat, be sure to take precautions.
Depending on the ingredients used, most remaining cornbread can be left on your counter for a few days. I’d suggest covering it or putting it in a bag for storage to try to reduce how much it dries out. You can also freeze your leftover cornbread.
It should stay good for a couple of months, if not longer. As with many other breadlike products, freezing tends to make it even crumblier, so plan to wrap the leftovers and use the crumbs in another recipe to get the best use out of the frozen cornbread.
One thing I would suggest, since so many holiday meals will be prepared over the next few weeks, is to consider using the cornbread crumbs to make your favorite turkey stuffing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s meals.
Final Word
This is an easy ham and bean soup recipe that will be perfect to make if a disaster were to hit your neighborhood, as a warm, friendly meal if you want to invite neighbors over, or to feed a hungry family after everyone returns from work, school, or other activities.
You can grab a Dutch oven and let the soup bake over some charcoal outside if you’d like a unique family adventure on a pleasant summer evening. It’s filling and delicious. Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected. Please keep prepping with water, food, and learn some new skills. May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright Image: Bean and Ham Soup Depositphotos_5589718_S p Author photooasis
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