Ham and Bean Soup
A simple, adaptable and very forgiving recipe, inspired by October 2018 Bon Appetit, this soup satisfies! This hearty, delicious, smoky soup recipe can be adapted by using any type of bean you want (I used Great Northern beans), or ham hocks instead of shanks, or include any vegetables you might like. I stuck to the traditional carrots, celery, onions). You can make this in a single pot, but the ham hocks or shanks take up quite a bit of space, so it may not be feasible to use a slow-cooker or Instant Pot.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 min
- Yield: 4 qt. 1x
- Category: Soups and Stews
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb White Beans (Gigante, Great Northern, Cannelini), soaked overnight in water, drained, and rinsed
- 3 T neutral oil (olive, grapeseed, canola)
- 2 large yellow onions, halved horizontally
- 2 heads garlic, halved horizontally
- 2 c chopped celery, 3/4” segments
- 3 Medium carrots, peeled, sliced in 1/2” thick coins or half-moons
- 1/2 c Dry white wine
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
- 10 cups liquid (I used 1 qt. Chicken stock and 6 c water, but all of one or the other is perfectly fine, just adjust your salt accordingly)
- 2 1/2– 3 lbs. Ham Hocks (4-ish) or Shanks (2 medium-sized)
Instructions
Saute the Vegetables
- In a large, heavy (6 qt) pot, heat the olive oil over Medium-High heat. Place the onion and garlic halves in the hot oil and let turn dark golden brown, about 4 minutes. Either remove them from the oil to make room for the chopped vegetables, or move too one side of the pot. Add in the chopped celery and carrots, sautéing 4 additional minutes.
- Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping any brown bits off of the bottom. Let wine evaporate until the volume is down by 2/3.
Simmer the Ham Hocks or Shanks
- Add Hocks or Shanks, the soaked and rinsed beans, the thyme, the broth and/or water, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper. Simmer 2-2 1/2 hours.
- Prior to serving remove the onion, garlic, and thyme, and discard. Remove the hocks and shanks, cool 15-20 minutes until you can easily cut the meat off and return bite-size pieces to the pot.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/3 cup
Keywords: Soups, stews, ham, beans, ham hocks
Find it online: https://hummingbirdthyme.com/ham-and-white-bean-soup/
