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White Bean and Ham Soup with a ladle

White Bean and Ham Soup

A one-pot wonder that is easy to make and packed full of flavor! Simmer together simple ingredients to make the perfect soup.
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Course: Soup
Keyword: Easy
Servings: 5
Author: midwestsister.com

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven or large pot
  • Cutting Board and Knife

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Onion diced
  • 4 Stalks Celery diced
  • 2 Carrots diced
  • 2 Cups Ham Diced
  • 3 Cans White Beans Cannellini or Navy
  • 1 1/2 to 2 Cups Chicken Broth
  • 3 or 4 Cloves Garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep

  • Dice up your onion, celery and carrots.
    1 Large Onion, 2 Carrots, 4 Stalks Celery
  • Dice your Ham into small cubes
    2 Cups Ham
  • Finely dice your garlic, if using.
    3 or 4 Cloves Garlic
  • Measure out your chicken broth to have it ready
    1 1/2 to 2 Cups Chicken Broth
  • Open the canned beans. Drain/Rinse 2 cans and leave 1 can undrained.

Cook

  • Heat a dutch oven or large pot on the stove top to medium high heat.   
  • Add a glug of olive oil, roughly 1 tbps, and the veggies. 
    1 Large Onion, 4 Stalks Celery, 1 tbsp Olive Oil, 2 Carrots
  • Season lightly with a pinch of salt. Go lighter on the salt here because of the ham.
  • Cook the veggies, stirring often, till the onions are softened and translucent. Roughly 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the diced ham and garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often.
    2 Cups Ham, 3 or 4 Cloves Garlic
  • Add your beans. 1 can add with the liquid and the other 2 drain/rinse before adding.
    3 Cans White Beans
  • Add your chicken broth till it just covers all the beans and veggies. If you have a ham bone add it in.
    1 1/2 to 2 Cups Chicken Broth
  • Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for at least 20 minutes with the lip slightly off center. (I usually shoot for around 30-40 minutes here but feel free to go longer).
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

Go light on the salt.  When cooking with ham you need to start small. Ham, usually, has a higher salt content. While it simmers in the soup it will really start to bring that flavor out! 
Use the liquid from the canned beans. I know there is not a ton of times where you keep that liquid. But this is one of them! That canned liquid is full of nutrients, starch and has a great thick viscosity. By adding a can of beans with the liquid it helps your soup to have that great thicker broth you are wanting for this kind of soup. I only loosely drain the other two cans as well! 
If you have bone-in ham then throw the ham bone into the soup! It will really up the flavor and give it an even nicer texture. Simply remove prior to serving. 
Remember to make the recipe your own! I use three cans of beans here but I know others might stop at two.