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Easy Slow Cooker Ham Bone Bean Soup

Easy Slow Cooker Ham Bone Bean Soup

This comforting and hearty soup utilizes a smoked ham bone to create a deeply flavorful broth, combined with tender beans and traditional mirepoix, all cooked effortlessly in a slow cooker.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, Southern
Calories: 385
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup Base
  • 1 large smoked ham bone (or 1 pound ham hocks)
  • 1 pound dried Great Northern beans or navy beans rinsed and picked over
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water, or a combination)
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 3 carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 celery stalks diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste; adjust after cooking due to ham bone salinity
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (for garnish, optional)

Equipment

  • 6-Quart or larger Slow Cooker
  • Cutting board
  • Tongs

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Rinse the dried beans thoroughly under cold running water and pick out any debris or broken pieces. (There is no need to pre-soak the beans for this slow cooker method.)
  2. Dice the onion, carrots, and celery into uniform, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic.
Slow Cooker Setup
  1. Place the rinsed ham bone (or ham hocks) into the bottom of a large 6-quart or 7-quart slow cooker.
  2. Add the rinsed beans, diced onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic over the ham bone.
  3. Pour the 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (or water) over the ingredients, ensuring the beans are fully submerged by at least an inch of liquid. Add the dried thyme, black pepper, and bay leaves. Do not add the salt yet.
  4. Secure the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on the LOW setting for 8 hours, or the HIGH setting for 4 hours. The soup is ready when the beans are completely tender and the meat is falling easily off the bone.
Finishing and Serving
  1. Carefully remove the ham bone and the bay leaves from the slow cooker using tongs. Place the bone on a cutting board. Shred any usable pieces of meat off the bone. Discard the bone and any excess fat or skin.
  2. Return the shredded ham meat back into the slow cooker and stir well. Taste the soup and add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or more, as needed.
  3. If the soup is too thick, add a small amount of water or broth to reach your desired consistency. Ladle the Easy Slow Cooker Ham Bone Bean Soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired and serve hot.

Notes

For a thicker soup, mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the slow cooker before returning the ham meat. This releases starch and naturally thickens the broth. This soup freezes exceptionally well—store leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months.