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Crock-Pot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

Affordable, delicious, and nourishing, this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup is the perfect pantry meal to always have in your back pocket.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
7 hrs
Total Time
7 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 166 kcal
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried navy beans or Great Northern beans
  • 1 large onion diced (about 1 ¾ cup)
  • 3 celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium carrot diced (about ½ cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large smoked ham hock or ham bone
  • 4-6 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup chopped ham
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Soak the beans in water (the water should rise a few inches above the beans) overnight. Drain beans through a colander before cooking.
  2. Add the beans, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, and ham hock to the slow cooker.
  3. Fill the slow cooker with water until just barely covering the beans.
  4. Cover and slow cook for 5 ½ -6½ hours on high, or 7 ½ -8½ hours on low, until beans have softened and begun to fall apart.
  5. Remove the ham hock or bone from the slow cooker and strip off any meat. Chop and add the meat to the slow cooker along with the Italian seasoning, remaining chopped ham, salt and pepper.
  6. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

Notes

  • Top the soup with sliced green onions and serve with a crusty slice of sourdough bread for the ultimate comfort food!
  • To make on the stovetop: Soak beans as listed. Then add all ingredients except the chopped ham to a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 80-90 minutes, or until the beans are fall-apart tender. Remove and discard the ham hock, then add in the ham and season to taste.
  • To make in the Instant Pot: Soak beans as listed. Then add all ingredients except the chopped ham to the Instant Pot, seal, and set to manual, high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Remove and discard the ham hock, and then add in the ham and season to taste.
  • No Italian seasoning? Use some combination of dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and dried basil that adds up to about a teaspoon of seasoning. There's no wrong combination!
  • No ham bone or ham hock? That's okay, you can use bacon in a pinch. It won't be quite as flavorful, but it'll do the trick. Cut 8 slices of bacon (thick-cut prefered) into ½" pieces. Saute over medium-high heat in a skillet or Dutch oven until crisp (you can also do this in your slow cooker if it has a "saute" function). Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions, celery, garlic, and carrots to the bacon grease, and saute until just slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add one cup of water, and make sure to use your spoon to scrape up any good bits left on the bottom of the pan from the bacon. Pour the veggie/water mixture into your slow cooker along with soaked beans, bay leaf, and additional water. When using bacon, you might consider replacing half of the water with chicken broth to increase flavor. Cook as listed in the original recipe. Top finished soup with the cooked bacon.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 166kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 25g (8%) Protein 11g (22%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 14mg (5%) Sodium 407mg (17%) Fiber 9g (36%) Sugar 2g (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 166

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 166kcal 8%
Carbohydrates 25g 8%
Protein 11g 22%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 14mg 5%
Sodium 407mg 17%
Fiber 9g 36%
Sugar 2g 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.