Best Bean Soup with Ham
Enjoy this tasty and nutritious bean soup.
Servings: 16 servings
Equipment
- Large Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound Beans, soaked overnight Optionally, beans can be soaked for up to 48 hours, changing water periodically. You can also use unsoaked beans in this recipe. Consult the recipe instructions below.
- 2 tablespoons Ghee or other fat for sautéing Options include butter, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, lard, etc.
- 1 large Onion, diced Any type of onion can be used.
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced More can be used.
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder, optional
- 1 14.5 ounces Canned chopped tomatoes
- 1 1 1/2 pound Ham hock Alternatively you can use raw sausage or cooked chopped ham. See Recipe Notes for additional information.
- 8 cups Water Additional water will be need for soaking beans and/or making this recipe with unsoaked beans
- 1 Lemon, zest and juice, optional Alternatively, vinegar can be used
- Salt, optional
- Freshly ground black pepper, optional
Instructions
Process for Soaking Beans
- Wash dried beans thoroughly in a colander and remove any small stones.
- Transfer washed beans to a large soup pot and cover with at least 10 cups of water. Optionally, you can add two tablespoons of salt to the water.
- Allow beans to soak overnight for approximately 12 hours. Alternatively, you can let the beans soak for up to 48 hours, changing the soaking water at least once during the extended soak.
- Once the beans have been soaked, rinse them very well in a colander and transfer them to a bowl.
Preparing Soup with Soaked Beans
- In a large soup pot, melt fat and then add diced onion and saute for approximately 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- Next, add diced garlic to the soup pot and continue to saute for another minute or two until fragrant.
- Add chili powder, if using, to the soup pot and stir well to coat onions and garlic.
- Add tomatoes to the soup pot and stir well.
- Add soaked beans to the soup pot and stir well.
- Place ham hock in the center of the bean mixture in the soup pot and add 8 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down to a medium simmer and put lid on soup pot.
- Allow soup to simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until beans are cooked and ham is tender.
- Remove ham hock from the soup pot and remove ham from bone. Return shredded ham to the soup pot.
- Taste for seasonings, and add salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, or vinegar.
- Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Alternatively, soup may be frozen for up to 4-6 months.
Process for Using Unsoaked Beans
- Rinse beans thoroughly in a colander and remove any stones.
- Transfer rinsed beans to a large soup pot and add 10 cups of water.
- Bring beans and water to a vigorous rolling boil. Stir, and then cover the soup pot. Lower heat only slightly and allow beans to boil for 1 1/2 hours.
- After 1 1/2 hours, add all the other ingredients to the soup pot and cover. Allow bean soup to boil for at least 30-45 minutes or until all the beans are cooked and the ham is tender.
- Once thoroughly cooked, remove the ham hock from the soup pot and remove ham from bone. Return shredded ham to soup pot.
- Taste for seasonings and add salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, or vinegar.
- Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Alternatively, soup may be frozen for up to 4-6 months.
Video
Notes
USING RAW SAUSAGE: If you decide to use raw sausage in this recipe, you can add it to the soup pot at the same time as the ham hock.
USING COOKED HAM: If you decide to use cooked ham in this recipe, you can add it to the soup pot at the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time just to allow it to heat through.
Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/best-bean-soup-with-ham-recipe/
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