Ham and Bean Soup

Do you have a ham bone? This soup is one of the best uses for one. Hopefully, if you had a ham recently, you did not throw away the bone. If you did, that is okay. You should be able to buy a ham bone from a ham company such as HoneyBaked Ham. I had two small ham bones in my freezer and the recent winter chill made me want to make this soup.

There are 15 different kinds of beans in this soup. It is a hearty soup that will fill you up and keep you going. I like it with a big piece of cornbread. Actually, I will crumble the cornbread up and add it to the soup as I am eating it. So delish!

I do have to thank my friend Terry, @tbgdesign on twitter, for the first ham and bean soup I ever had. Terry makes the best soups. She is the one who inspired me to start making more soups, including this one. The recipe is adapted from the one on the back of the Hurst’s HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup bag.

Homemade soup is easy to make. The flavor stands above and beyond store-bought soups. Most soups are inexpensive and they freeze well. A big pot of soup can feed a large family or make several meals for a small family. Do you make soup? Which one is your favorite?

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Ham and Bean Soup

Ham and Bean Soup is a hearty soup made with ham and 15 types of beans. It is a great way to use a ham bone to make a delicious meal.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 50 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 8 servings

Author Renee

Ingredients

• 1 bag HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup 20 ounces
• 1 ham bone preferably with some ham still on it
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 box Pomi chopped tomatoes 26.46 ounces
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt if needed

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot, soak dried beans in 2 quarts of water overnight (at least 8 hours). Discard the ham seasoning packet. Drain beans and put back in the stockpot.
2. Add ham bone and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer loosely covered for 2 1/2 hours. Skim off any foam that forms on the top while simmering.
3. In a skillet, add olive oil and onions. Cook onions on medium-low until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to the onions and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Add onions and garlic to beans. Add chopped tomatoes, chili powder, lemon juice, and pepper to beans. Simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Taste soup and add salt if needed. Remove ham bone. Shred any large chunks of ham from the bone or in the soup and put the ham pieces back into the soup. Discard ham bone.

Recipe adapted from Hurst’s HamBeens® Original 15 Bean Soup Recipe