The Best Bean and Ham Soup Recipe
Bean Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 (20 ounce) package 15-bean soup mix (seasoning packet not used)
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1 ham bone
- 5 large carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can low-sodium vegetable juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 large bay leaves
- 7 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (Optional)
Directions
Step 1: Begin by gathering all the ingredients. This ensures you have everything ready before you start cooking.
Step 2: Place the beans in a large and cover them with several inches of cool water. Let them soak for 8 hours or overnight to rehydrate.
Step 3: After soaking, drain the beans and transfer them to a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
Step 4: Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the beans simmer for 30 minutes. Then drain the beans again and set them aside.
Step 5: Now, add the cubed ham, ham bone, chopped carrots, celery, onion, and the undrained diced tomatoes to the pot.
Step 6: Stir in the vegetable broth, vegetable juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chili powder, dried parsley, ground black pepper, and bay leaves.
Step 7: Pour in enough chicken broth to fully cover the ingredients. Stir everything together, then simmer the soup over low heat. Stir occasionally, adding more chicken broth as needed to keep the ingredients covered. Let the soup cook for about 8 hours, or until everything is tender and flavors meld together.
Step 8: After 8 hours, remove the ham bone and discard it. Taste the soup and season with kosher salt as desired. Continue to simmer the soup for another 1 to 2 hours to let the flavors fully develop.
Step 9: Before serving, remove the bay leaves from the soup. Then, serve the soup hot and enjoy the rich flavors!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
- Calories: 260
- Total Fat: 4g (5% Daily Value)
- Saturated Fat: 1g (5% Daily Value)
- Cholesterol: 14mg (5% Daily Value)
- Sodium: 1105mg (48% Daily Value)
- Total Carbohydrate: 38g (14% Daily Value)
- Dietary Fiber: 15g (53% Daily Value)
- Total Sugars: 7g
- Protein: 17g (35% Daily Value)
- Vitamin C: 27mg (30% Daily Value)
- Calcium: 54mg (4% Daily Value)
- Iron: 2mg (11% Daily Value)
- Potassium: 1143mg (24% Daily Value)
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Comments
Alexander Flores
08/11/2024 04:59:51 PM
I have prepared this soup numerous times, and my children and I absolutely adore it. Today, I decided to make a little change and wanted to share my experience. With some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving in my freezer, I used two smoked turkey wings and let them simmer for a few hours. After removing and shredding the meat, I added it back to the soup along with about 2 cups of the leftover turkey. I let it simmer for a few more hours and then added some chopped Swiss chard. The result was INCREDIBLE! While I love the original recipe, I believe the addition of turkey and Swiss chard takes it to a whole new level. It's fantastic no matter how you prepare it!
Gary Brown
02/07/2024 02:05:14 AM
Fantastic! This recipe is definitely a keeper for me. I couldn't find any ham bones, so I substituted with ham hocks. The meat manager recommended oxtail as well, which was a new ingredient for me, but I decided to add about 1.5 lbs of it. The oxtail contributed a delicious additional flavor to the dish. After simmering for about 6 hours, I removed the oxtail bones, shredded the meat, and added it back to the pot. Oxtail has a lot of fat, so it's important to trim off as much as possible before cooking.
Eric Lee
05/23/2023 10:02:36 AM
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was searching for a new way to prepare my beans and ham bone, and this was perfect. I used the meat from the ham bone, which provided plenty of flavor. I followed the recipe ingredients but utilized my Instant Pot for cooking. I pressure cooked the beans for ten minutes, then added everything else for an additional 30 minutes. I was worried about the beans becoming mushy, but they turned out just right. The flavors were fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Kelly Rivera
11/14/2023 04:10:12 AM
I followed the recipe exactly, but substituted with 9 cups of chicken broth. I pre-soaked the beans and then cooked everything in the pressure cooker without the ham. I used the "soup" function but extended the cooking time to 35 minutes. I allowed the pressure to release naturally afterward. I added the ham at the end to heat it up in the hot soup since it was already cooked, and I wanted to avoid drying it out.
Joshua Gonzalez
07/31/2023 01:59:03 AM
Just doubled the recipe for this soup and it turned out amazing. This is by far the best soup I have ever made. Planning to freeze half of it and looking forward to enjoying it even more in the months to come. Thank you!!
Janet Martinez
11/16/2024 05:22:01 PM
Incredible soup!! I made a few changes to the recipe. I substituted great northern beans for the bean mix. Instead of vegetable broth, I opted for chicken broth. Plus, it cooked in just 6 hours. Definitely worth it!!!!!!
Patricia Rivera
10/15/2022 11:48:18 PM
Review: Can someone explain why the recipe suggests cooking for 8 hours? In my experience, most soaked beans or a ham bone only take about 2 hours to cook. It seems like 8 hours would be more suitable for a crockpot recipe.
David Gonzalez
08/22/2024 07:24:42 AM
A day-long love affair with food is what creating this bean soup entails - a process that takes much longer than preparing a lasagna. Despite not adding any extra salt, I found the soup to be quite flavorful, thanks to the natural salts in the broth. Unfortunately, I didn't have any Dijon mustard on hand, so it was omitted from the recipe.
Amanda Evans
12/31/2024 09:16:12 AM
This recipe is a fantastic base for making ham and bean soup, and it's very adaptable to suit your preferences. To adjust the consistency, I opted to use chicken broth only, skipping the vegetable juice/vegetable broth. Following another reviewer's suggestion, I swapped diced tomatoes with Rotel. Instead of Worcestershire sauce, I used 1 tsp of liquid smoke, and replaced Dijon mustard with 1 tsp of dry mustard. I added some cayenne pepper and potatoes for extra flavor. Since I prefer not to soak beans in advance, I used 4 cans of white beans and half a can of refried beans to thicken the soup. Despite forgetting to add the lemon juice at the end, the flavor turned out delightful, and we enjoyed it as is. It was a hit with everyone and a perfect way to utilize leftover Easter ham. Thank you!
William Davis
05/02/2024 04:14:37 AM
Absolutely adore it!! I'm not a big fan of Dijon mustard, so I left that out. Packed with delicious flavors, especially paired with cast iron skillet corn bread, so tasty!!