Mom's Ham and Bean Soup
I couldn't find the perfect ham and bean soup recipe, so I came up with this after comparing three different ones. I combined the ingredients that I liked, and Mom's ham and bean soup was invented.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried Great Northern beans
- 4 meaty ham hocks
- 5 cups water
- 1 ½ cups sliced celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place Great Northern beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand for 8 hours to overnight. Drain and transfer beans to a large stockpot.
- Add ham hocks, 5 cups water, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf to beans in the stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ham falls off the bones, about 2 hours.
- Remove ham hocks from soup. Cut meat from bones, discarding fat and bones. Return meat to the pot. Continue cooking until beans reach desired softness.
Notes
Recipe Tips
You can substitute navy beans for Great Northern beans.
To thicken broth, mash beans slightly. If too thick, add a little water.