Quick and easy Ham and Bean Soup recipe is ready in 15 minutes. Loaded with cannellini or navy beans and tender leftover ham in every bite!
Ham and Bean Soup recipe is a fast and filling delicious weeknight dinner that smells heavenly. Perfect if you have any ham leftover from Christmas dinner!
HAM AND BEAN SOUP
If you’re anything like me and have no idea what to do with leftover ham except grilled cheese, then this soup is for you. Most ham and bean soup recipes take anywhere from 6-8 hours to cook, all from scratch. As delicious as they all sound, I found myself staring at my ham just an hour before dinner with nothing else on offer in the house.
Enter 15 minute ham and bean soup.
This soup is to die for… even better when you need something FAST, comforting, hearty AND FILLING!
LEFTOVER HAM RECIPE
If you don’t have any leftover ham but you really want to try this, you can buy cooked ham (you’ll need about 10 oz or 300 g) from your deli or grocery store.
HOW DO YOU MAKE HAM AND BEAN SOUP?
This Ham and Bean Soup recipe is so easy and ready in a pinch without much to it at all.
You’re going to start with a Soffritto (sautéing onion, carrots and celery), like we did here in this creamy ham and potato soup. Cook until soft, then sauté the garlic.
The ham is added and fried in all of those flavours before the stock is poured in. Then bring to a boil.
Stir in the beans, taste test and season with salt in the last minute of cooking. You want to make sure you’re seasoning your Ham and Bean Soup with the perfect amounts of salt to suit your tastes.
WHAT BEANS DO YOU USE FOR HAM AND BEAN SOUP?
Cannellini beans are white Italian kidney beans, which is what we have used in this Ham and Bean Soup. You can also use great northern beans or navy beans.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
You can add in other veggies, like spinach, kale, zucchini, shredded cabbage or frozen peas.
If you’d like to add in potatoes, sweet potatoes or pumpkin, you will need to simmer the Ham Bean Soup for about 5-10 minutes longer, until fork tender.
LOOKING FOR MORE SOUP RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup
Ham Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups shredded cooked ham
- 1 ½ quarts (1 ½ litres) chicken stock or broth (you can use beef)
- 2 bay leaves (or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 (15 ounce) canned white beans (cannellini beans) -- no salt added, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of salt, if needed
Instructions
- In a large pot or saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until onions are softened (5 minutes). Sauté the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds - 1 minute).
- Add the ham and cook for a further 2 minutes, then pour in the stock. Add the bay leaves (or thyme) and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to combine all of the flavours together.
- Stir in beans and season with pepper. Let simmer for 2 minutes, taste test and season with salt if needed.
- Serve warm.
Notes
HAM BROTH FOR HAM SOUP USING LEFTOVER HAM BONE:
- Simmer the ham bone in a stock pot filled with enough water to cover the bone halfway (about 2 quarts/litres, depending on size of bone).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and let simmer until very fragrant (about 1 hour).
- Discard hambone
- Replace the chicken stock with your ham broth.
Serena says
I spent Christmas with my husband and two Yorkies at our home in Florida. For breakfast we had your Christmas Star Bread, which I had made on Christmas Eve and was not sure it was going to be worth the effort. Boy was I wrong!!! Not only was it beautiful (after I baked it) but it was out of this world delicious! For dinner we had a lamb ragout over fresh parpadelle and broccoli rabe- also delicious! Other than cooking, we exercised and took our Yorkies for a mile walk. We spoke to lots of family and that was about it. a quiet , but wonderful Christmas.
Debbie Hale says
Thank you for the recipes. I spent Christmas with my family. It was beautiful. Each year more special as every one gets older…and we realize how precious life is. I hope you had a Merry Christmas as well. Than you.
Frank says
Plenty of left over ham to try this.
Wife and I were home alone with the critters.
Linda Johnson says
Drove 2-1/2 hours to my sister’s (Hubby drove, I read “Crazy Rich Asians”). Had dinner with all siblings except one and two nieces and my mom. A lot of food, a lot of exchanging photos with others. I’m always looking for new and good soup recipes.
Sherry Stephens says
Spent Christmas with my son and grown grandchildren. Was quiet buy lovely. Can’t wait to try the ham and bean soup!
Michael Murray says
Going thru a divorce and some of the kids were home so I cooked a ham, green bean casserole, corn on the cob and a pecan pie.
Wendy Jo Jacklin says
I spent Christmas this year with my daughter and three grandkids. Normally, my significant other of the last twelve years would make a prime rib with all the fixings, but he unexpectedly passed away on the 9th of December from pneumonia and sepsis. This was not a happy holiday for me. My family tried to make the day good for me, but I’m afraid not enough time has passed.
Brenda Prade says
Spent Christmas with my kids and grandkids. Lots of food, presents and fun was had.
Maribeth Angat says
A quiet Christmas with the kids. Cooked pasta and shanghai rolls for Christmas Eve dinner. It’s one time of the year that all members of the family are present so we just made the best of it. Love.
Lynn Hotle says
We spent Christmas with our children and extended family in the beautiful Northeast Georgia mountains. Our family has a new member, my grandson who was born in September. His big brother who is two years old really enjoyed this Christmas opening his toy train present and other assorted goodies.
Family togetherness is what Christmas is all about, eating good food and sharing family stories.
I am thankful for Cafe Delight recipes that helped produce great side dishes for our Christmas meal.