Ham and beans is a nourishing meal packed with flavor from a smoky ham hock, sautéed veggies, and soft, creamy beans. It is a simple and delicious meal, perfect for any day of the week.
This ham and beans recipe is the coziest meal to serve your family. There is so much about it to love from the smoky, salty goodness of the ham, to the creaminess of the beans and slight sweetness from the carrots and veggies.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread or warm sourdough discard rolls. Pair it with a fresh garden salad topped with lemon vinaigrette for a bit of brightness and to round out the meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Budget friendly – Ham and beans is a classic budget friendly meal made with inexpensive pantry staples like dry beans and leftover ham. It is a great dinner to make good use of minimal ingredients.
Comfort food – This meal is the epitome of comfort served up in a bowl.
Simple ingredients – This is one of my favorite recipes to make when I want something simple and wholesome that can serve a crowd.
Ingredients
Chicken broth – Chicken broth adds more depth, I especially love using homemade bone broth for the added nutrients. Water also works beautifully because the ham hock creates plenty of flavor on its own.
Diced ham – This is the perfect recipe to use up leftover ham from the holidays.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Ham And Beans
Step 1: Soak the beans: The night before, place the navy beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches of water. Let soak overnight. Drain and rinse before cooking.
Step 2: In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook another 3–4 minutes, until slightly tender.
Step 3: Add the chicken broth (or water), drained beans, ham hock, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender and the broth has thickened.
Step 4: Remove the ham hock and let it cool slightly.
Step 5: Pull off any meat, chop it, and return it to the pot. Discard the bone and any excess fat.
Step 6: Stir in the diced ham, dried thyme, and Dijon mustard. Simmer for another 5–10 minutes to warm through.
Step 7: Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Step 8: Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.
Tips
- Do not soak your beans for too much longer than recommended, as their texture can change if they absorb too much water.
- Mustard, ham, and ham hocks are salty elements so add salt sparingly until you’re tasting the final dish.
- This soup thickens considerably in the fridge. Add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
- A splash of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the whole pot.
Ham and Beans FAQs
There are many ways you can change up your ham and beans to suit your own tastes and preferences. White beans, pinto beans, lima, or great northern can be used in place of navy beans. You can also get creative by adding a different variety of seasonings and veggies such as diced celery stalks, green beans, spinach, kale, potatoes, or even bell peppers.
The cooking time for this ham and bean soup recipe is about 3-4 hours, plus the additional 8 hours of letting your beans soak overnight before using them in the recipe.
You can store leftover ham and beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen in a freezer safe container up to three months. The best part about this recipe is it makes great, flavorful leftovers!
More Dinner Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Classic Dutch Oven Beef Stew Recipe
- The Best Easy Baked Ziti Recipe
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Easy Beef Gyros With Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Burger Bowls Recipe with Homemade Special Sauce
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
One Pot Ham And Beans Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven Any soup pot will work
Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans, soaked the night before
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 6 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 ham hock
- salt and pepper
- 8 ounces diced ham
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Soak the beans: The night before, place the navy beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches of water. Let soak overnight. Drain and rinse before cooking.
- In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook another 3–4 minutes, until slightly tender.
- Add the chicken broth (or water), drained beans, ham hock, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender and the broth has thickened.
- Remove the ham hock and let it cool slightly. Pull off any meat, chop it, and return it to the pot. Discard the bone and any excess fat.
- Stir in the diced ham, dried thyme, and Dijon mustard. Simmer for another 5–10 minutes to warm through.
- Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- Be sure to not soak your beans for too much longer than recommended, as their texture can change if they absorb too much water.
- Mustard, ham, and ham hocks are salty elements so add salt sparingly until you’re tasting the final dish.
- This soup thickens considerably in the fridge. Add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
- A splash of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the whole pot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
