Bean Soup Smoked Ham (Printer-Friendly)

Warming soup with tender beans, smoky ham, and potatoes for cozy meals on cold days.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 8.8 oz smoked ham, diced

→ Beans & Legumes

02 - 14 oz cooked white beans (cannellini or navy beans), drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

→ Herbs & Spices

09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

→ Fats

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in diced smoked ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to release its savory essence.
04 - Add potatoes, beans, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and broth. Stir well to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender and flavors have melded.
06 - Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under two hours and fills your kitchen with a smell that makes everyone wonder what magic you're cooking.
  • The smoked ham does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you can relax and just let it simmer while you do something else.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, which means you're basically giving yourself tomorrow's lunch for free.
02 -
  • The hardest lesson I learned was that oversalting early on cannot be fixed—start conservatively and adjust at the very end, tasting constantly.
  • Smoked ham flavor actually gets stronger as the soup sits, so what tastes lightly smoky on day one might taste quite bold on day three, which is exactly what you want.
03 -
  • If you can find a ham bone or ham hock at the butcher counter, simmer it with the broth for an hour before you start the recipe—your soup will taste like it took twice as long to make.
  • Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice right before serving if the soup tastes flat or one-dimensional.
Return