Ham Great Northern Bean Soup (Printer-Friendly)

A comforting blend of tender beans and savory ham slow-cooked to warm and satisfy.

# What You Need:

→ Beans & Legumes

01 - 1 pound dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and sorted

→ Meats

02 - 1 meaty ham bone or 2 cups diced cooked ham

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
08 - 2 cups water

→ Herbs & Spices

09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

# How to Cook:

01 - Rinse and sort the dried beans to remove debris. Soaking overnight is optional and will reduce cooking time and soften beans further.
02 - In a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, combine beans, ham bone or diced ham, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and water. Add bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper. Stir gently to combine.
04 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until beans are tender and flavors have melded together.
05 - Remove ham bone, if using. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the soup. Discard the bone and bay leaves.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It practically cooks itself in the slow cooker while you go about your day, filling your home with an aroma that makes everyone ask what's for dinner.
  • Great Northern beans become impossibly creamy without needing cream, and the ham infuses everything with a natural richness that store-bought stock can't replicate.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing and sorting the beans—I once found a small stone in a batch that would have cracked a tooth, and it taught me that this step isn't negotiable no matter how eager you are to get cooking.
  • If your ham is particularly salty or if you're using ham bone with a lot of salt curing, you might need less broth or more water—taste as you go rather than following the recipe blindly.
03 -
  • If you have access to a real ham bone from a butcher rather than the grocery store, seek it out—the difference in flavor is subtle but real, and worth the small extra effort.
  • Mashing a few beans against the side of the slow cooker with the back of a spoon right before serving thickens the broth naturally without any cream, creating the perfect texture.
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