White Bean and Ham Hock Soup

This Flavorful White Bean and Ham Hock Soup is a satisfying and filling meal made with tender ham, canned cannellini beans, vegetables, and smoky ham hocks. Great for cozy fall nights, and works well with leftover ham!

What Ingredients Do You Need For White Bean And Ham Hock Soup?

White Beans – This white bean soup with ham hocks recipe requires the use of dried beans, which can be made with Great Northern, Navy, or Cannellini beans.

Ham – This recipe allows for the choice of either ham hocks or ham shanks. For a meatier soup, I suggest utilizing ham shanks, however, you can also opt for utilizing leftover ham, diced ham, or a diced ham steak.

Vegetables – For this recipe of Great Northern Bean Soup, you will need diced onion, celery, and carrots as ingredients. These vegetables can frequently be found already diced and referred to as mirepoix in the produce section of your local grocery store.

Seasoning – I have two preferred seasonings for soup, Fleur de Sel and Herbes de Provence. These seasonings greatly enhance the flavor of this soup, but can be substituted with alternatives such as Italian seasoning or fresh herbs like thyme and oregano.

How to make White Bean And Ham Hock Soup?

I personally prefer making this white bean ham hock soup from scratch, but there are also some shortcuts that can be taken. To ensure the best flavor, here are some tips for preparation.

Soak the beans: To prepare the beans, put them in a big pot and pour in enough water to cover them completely. Place the pot on a stove and set the heat to high. Upon boiling, remove the pot from the heat source: Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 2 hours.

Simmer the ham: As the beans soak, grab a separate big pot and put the ham shanks or ham hocks in it. Next, pour in 2 quarts of water, season with salt, and sprinkle in Herbes de Provence. Put the pot on high heat and let the water come to a simmer. When it reaches a gentle boil, turn the heat down to a low setting and cover the pot partially with a lid. Allow it to cook on the low heat setting for a duration of one hour.

Sauté the onions: In a tiny frying pan, heat up some olive oil on high heat, then add in the diced onions. Cook the onions until they become aromatic and transparent, which should take around 5 minutes. Afterwards, mix in the garlic and continue to cook for one more minute.

Pour the soup ingredients into the pot.

Empty the drained beans into the pot that holds the ham shanks and then add the previously sautéed onions, garlic, celery, and carrots to the pot as well.

Continue to cook the soup: Simmer the mixture, with the pot uncovered, for an additional 40 minutes until the veggies become soft and the meat can easily be taken off the bones. When the meat has become as tender as you want it to be, take the bones out of the pot and dispose of them.

My Best Tips

• If you desire a soup with a greater proportion of ham and cannot find ham shanks, you can use diced ham or diced ham steak. For a soup with a heartier meat flavor, substitute 3 pounds of ham hocks with 1 to 2 pounds.
• Reduce the cooking duration by choosing canned great northern beans or cannellini beans over dried beans.
• Before seasoning the soup, taste it first and then add salt or any other seasoning as needed. Keep in mind that ham, especially ham hocks, can be very salty, so taste the ham hock white bean soup before adding extra salt.

The step-by-step instructions White Bean and Ham Hock Soup pictures can be found in the recipe card below.

Questions and answers about White Bean and Ham Hock Soup

Recipe variations

If you enjoy a dried bean soup that necessitates soaking the beans, this recipe is perfect for you.

Instead of using a smoked ham hock, opt for a ham bone leftover from a holiday ham such as Christmas or Easter, or utilize a ham shank. If utilizing a saved bone, ensure that you have some ham bits to include in the soup too.

Include a can of small diced tomatoes.

To increase your vegetable intake, throw in some fresh spinach during the final stages of cooking or add kale with around 10 minutes remaining, giving it enough time to soften in the warm soup.

Maximize the use of fresh herbs by not just using thyme, but also incorporating parsley, rosemary, chives, basil, or oregano.

I employed chicken broth, however, using vegetable broth would be an equally good alternative.

Another option is to incorporate leftover roasted chicken into the soup. Just incorporate it into the soup in the same manner as you do with the ham.

Spicy: Give a pinch of cayenne or top with crushed red pepper flakes for garnish.

What Do You Serve With White Bean Soup with Ham hocks?

A chunk of crusty bread with melted butter would pair perfectly with a bowl of white bean soup with ham hocks. An alternative option would be to include some garlic bread, cornbread, or buttermilk biscuits for a delicious addition for White Bean and Ham Hock Soup recipe.

Have a look at our other Soup recipes, how about cream potato soup

Can You Freeze ham hock and white bean soup?

This ham hock and white bean soup is a fantastic freezer meal, so make a large batch and freeze any leftovers for a quick and easy lunch or dinner option. Allow the soup to cool down to a temperature that is equal to the room temperature, and then store it in a container that seals tightly.

This soup has a shelf life of three months in the freezer. To prepare, remove the soup from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator for an entire night. Finally, heat it up until it’s warm.

Can You Store White Bean And Ham Hock Soup?

The white bean soup with ham hock is a great make-ahead meal for busy weeks. For convenient meal preparation, simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a period of 3 to 4 days.

What kind of beans do you put in ham and bean soup?

To make white bean And ham hock soup from scratch, you’ll need to start with dry beans that need to be soaked prior to being added to the soup. If you’re in a hurry, using canned beans is a quick alternative. Some top choices for ingredients in the soup include navy beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans, and black-eyed peas

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