Ham Bone Soup

Total Time Prep: 15 min. + soaking Cook: 1-1/2 hours
Yield 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts)
Test Kitchen Approved
Tender navy beans, smoked ham hocks and sauteed vegetables are the star ingredients in this hearty ham bone soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried navy beans
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 smoked ham hocks
  • 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.
  2. In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat; add onions and celery. Cook and stir until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in softened beans, 8 cups water, carrot, bay leaves, thyme and pepper. Add ham hocks. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
  3. Discard bay leaves. Remove ham hocks; set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove ham from bones and cut into cubes. Discard bones. Return ham to soup. Stir in cubed ham and salt; heat through.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 230 calories, 4g fat (1g saturated fat), 25mg cholesterol, 521mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 8g fiber), 20g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat.

This old-fashioned version of ham and bean soup starts with dried navy beans, but you could start with great northern beans instead. The first soak of the beans softens them, but they won't get tender until after they are simmered in the second step. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Recipe Creator

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