Crockpot Ham & White Bean Soup
This Crockpot Ham & White Bean Soup is an easier, set it and forget it, variation of the classic. It’s super simple with a very short ingredient list. It makes it quite a delightful surprise when you first dig in and discover just how incredibly flavorful it is.
Do any of you other Moms & Dad’s make your kids cook?
Because apparently that is listed under to ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ category on Friday nights.
Ya know, the weekly fend fo yo-self night.
Son # 2 acts like it’s just unconscionable that his mother wouldn’t want to slave over the stove or toil away in the kitchen for him for one evening a week.
Because apparently that’s my job. Ha!
So, fend for yourself night.
Nothing new around these parts, but you’d never know it when listening to the complaining chorus.
Any who, it’s pretty simple make what you want, and leftovers are always divided evenly among the boys.
Sometimes though, one son will decide that’s not sufficient, or maybe he’s just having a golden child moment, and decides he’s going make dinner for everyone.
While years ago that would have been boxed mac and cheese (because that’s where they were at), it’s now an actual meal … something say, like Mom would make.
While I’ve always been adamant that my boys know there way around the kitchen and be self sufficient, I wasn’t satisfied with knowing how to follow the directions on a packet of pasta, or scramble a few eggs.
(Oh, and to make sure we all know/knew what we were doing we took it back to the stone age by deciding against owning a microwave)
Within the past few months or so though, they’ve caught onto a little piece of meal magic though.
The CROCKPOT.
Turns out I’m not the only one who can throw a few ingredients in that sucker and have dinner ready in a few hours.
It’s Friday?
You know where the family recipe books are. Pick one and work together, or there’s always grilled cheese and a can of tomato soup.
Or Ramen noodles.
I did say it was fend for yourself night, didn’t I?
Behold!
The sons did not in fact starve this week!! So we’re here to share their latest creation … crockpot ham and white bean soup.
And it’s good you guys.
Want to know what’s even more ironic?
I made this for them two weeks ago for supper, and you should have heard the resounding complaining chorus.
Because, soup. Of any kind. For dinner.
My, my … how the tables have turned.
See? So Simple- a child can do it.
Have an Instant Pot? Pressure Cook This Ham & White Bean Soup recipe for quicker results!
This soup was made for both the slow cooker & the pressure cooker.
There’s just a couple adjustments to be made when adding it to the Instant Pot.
Add all of the ingredients to the pot, just as instructed for the slow cooker.
Then add two-three additional cups of water.
This is necessary for it to come to pressure and cook properly.
Cook the soup on high pressure for 45 minutes, and allow for a completely natural pressure release.
Once the pressure release is finally done, open the lid & give everything a good stir.
You can serve now, or let the soup rest for 10-15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it sits.
The soup will be hot, so keep that in mind when serving.
The Beans Shouldn’t Have To Soak, How To Ensure They Cook Properly
Whether you choose to make this in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot, the beans should’ve require a pre-soak to come out perfectly cooked.
To ensure they cook properly, use dry beans that you just recently purchased.
The only time my beans have come out under cooked, it’s been because I used beans from my pantry store that had been in there for quite some time.
They’re still good, but those definitely require a pre-soak before using in virtually any recipe.
The fresher the dry beans, the better the turn out in this particular recipe.
Other Cozy Ham Soup Ideas To Enjoy:
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Crockpot Ham & White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb of dried Great Northern Beans rinsed and sorted through
- about 1 lb of ham large pieces
- 6 cups of chicken stock or broth
- 1 medium white onion diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley to taste
- oregano to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in crockpot, and stir them all together.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Wow, I’m impressed!! Of course my son is only 5, but I have hopes for him for the future. 😉
Son # 4 is 5 too, and he quite enjoyed helping his big brother ‘dump’ stuff into the pot!
Both of my sons now 23 and 26 own crockpots! Nothing better than setting the crockpot to make magic while you are off to class or now, work. Growing up with Doctor Mom they definitely learned to fend for themselves in the kitchen. And they learned quickly that girls swoon for boys who can cook.
Wish I’d had your idea forty years ago. Still, my sons must have been taking notes because they’re better cooks than I am these days.
Do you have to soak the beans??
Nope, the crockpot does all the work for you.
How much parsley and oregano did you use?
What kind of ham is best to use?
Any really. If you’ve got leftover ham, or meat still on the ham bone, from a big dinner you can use that. We’ve also chopped up ham steaks or even made it using pre-packaged diced ham bought in the meat section.
I wish I could see this recipe quantities but the share banner is covering them. I can’t even see the left side of this comment I’m writing.
Will navy beans work as well?
Yes
It should work the same if I cook on high for 4 hours, right?
In theory it should, but dry beans can be funny. I’d definitely give it a try though.
I use a slow cooker, the oblong one that sits on a base and 4 hours on high works great for any dried beans.
I use the term crockpot interchangeably with slow cooker. I love that machine. We have an oblong one too, small world!
Wanda if yours is by West Bend what number do you set it on for beans
What about can beans?
I’d worry they’d turn to mush by the time the soup’s ready. Sorry.
Hi. Thanks for receipe. Im making it as i write. My question is. I see you posted nutritional facts. How big is serving size? Thank you
Roughly about 1-1 1/2 cups.
What a wonderful fall soup. I can’t wait to try it! thanks. 🙂
I really do appreciate the recipe and your hard work, but PLEASE check your spelling & punctuation before publishing. I want to be delighted without being annoyed.
E. Larson
So, so rude.
If you use a ham steak, do you cook it first before you put it into the crockpot with the beans and other ingredients?
The one’s I buy are always fully cooked and ready to use, so you can just throw it in and go with the rest of the recipe.
How many servings does this make and what is the serving size?
Patti, it’s usually about 8 servings for us. Not sure of the exact serving ‘size’.
I have a leftover small ham bone with plenty of meat still on it. Could I just put the entire Hamm and bones in the pot?
Of course! I do the same when we’ve got one too.
I like rivels in my bean soup. You use 2 eggs, 2 cups flour and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Scramble the eggs and salt and mix in flour until it’s not sticky. Mix lightly using a fork, you don’t want it to stir into a batter or dough so a light touch kinda dragging it through. If you make it too dry, they’ll fall apart. If it is too dry, add another egg. Drop little bits into your soup about 30 minutes before it’s done. These come from Amish or Mennonite roots. Try them, they’re wonderful.
Linda, that sounds interesting. I love the twist on traditional bean soup, and can’t wait to give it a try!
Linda, We make a rivel soup. Just add the rivels to boiling milk. My grandfather would always make it for us.
About how much salt, pepper, parsley and oregano do you put in?
My son always needs “exact” measurements 😊
Holly, I’d say a heaping tsp of both the parsley and the oregano. The salt & pepper, he just needs to start small, stir, and taste the broth until he’s satisfied!
Great! I can never find a crock thats not too hot. What crockpot do you suggest?
Thank thou!
I think the brand is Rival. I have warm, low, and high settings on mine and love it.
I like mine to be “soupier”, so I use extra broth( about a cup). About 30 minutes before eating, I make corn bread, fry potatoes and make kraut/winners. I love this with onion and buttermilk.
Soupier means more yummy juices to soak up with your cornbread!
We just had this 2 nights ago! I always make corn bread with ours. My kids love it & they are all married with families.
Did not ever think of the crockpot though! Genius!!
Crockpots save lives, and sanity, lol! I’m all about getting our fav comfort foods in, especially if it’s in a way that I can sit down, relax, and enjoy too.
Love your recipe however, I like the Senate Bean Soup version with bay leaves and garlic. Other than that, your recipe looks like something I intend to try. I also like to use ham hocks (cooked and defatted) or a portion of a picnic ham. Yum.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it’s simple enough that everyone can put their own spin on it, and it’s darn near fool proof. Hope you enjoy, Jackie!
Question—do you presoak the beans? I’ve not had luck before with my beans staying hard after cooking even when following directions. Also how do you thicken the broth?
These particular beans in this recipe, I don’t presoak. The longer you let them cook, the thicker the broth will be as the beans break up when you stir. Alternatively, use a potato masher and smash a few then give it a stir.
I found out the hard way that dried beans have a shelf life! You need to buy fresh beans from the store and pray they haven’t been sitting there very long. Mine were in my pantry for a while and when cooked they never softened!
I will say this is delicious, I made it today, but the quicker version! and used 3 cans of Navy beans and threw in the smoked ham and I really loved it.. I also put half of the mixture into the blender to it would have a thicker, creamer
texture.
Thank you!
Love your tip on blending a little to give it a creamier texture! You could also use an immersion blender and keep it in one pot. I’m so glad you liked it, Rose!!
Can you add dough dumplings to it? My mom always added small dumplings…yum lol
Of course! The recipe’s very adaptable, and very forgiving. That sounds delicious, btw.
How people does this serve?
For us it’s about 8 FULL servings. 6ish, if my teens are REALLY hungry and I forgot to make corn bread with it.