We’ve officially emerged from the depths of the germ factory formerly known as our home! I don’t know whether to tent the house and set off a Lysol bomb, or move and start over.
Florida seems nice this time of year!
That is to say, all five of us have been horribly ill this month but Mama’s on the mend and pushing big steaming bowls of this incredibly easy Ham and Bean Soup under everyone’s noses. Sick or not, your whole family will devour this hearty and nourishing meal that’s made with minimal ingredients, including canned beans – no soaking required!
Oh yes you CAN get a full flavored, thick and creamy bean soup using canned beans. I’ll show ya.
What’s Inside
A base of sauteed vegetables, garlic, and pinch of dried herbs joins flavorful chicken stock, canned beans, and cubed ham steak before simmering for just 20 minutes. Between the rich stock and salty ham, which kind of self-seasons the dish, trust me – even if you can’t smell anything on account of being sick, you will definitely taste the flavor coming out of this soup.
I’m taking a few shortcuts with this recipe to get it on the table quickly without sacrificing flavor:
- Using canned beans vs dried. Using high quality canned beans will still give you a smooth and creamy soup – I promise! I use Bush’s Beans.
- Omitting ham bones. Cubed ham steak lends that signature, salty flavor we crave from Ham and Bean Soup without having to use ham bones.
- Choosing chicken stock vs broth. Chicken stock – vs chicken BROTH – is loaded with rich, layered flavor and makes this soup taste like it’s been simmering all day. I prefer Costco’s Kirkland brand chicken stock and Pacific brand chicken stock, both of which are gluten free.
Can I Make Ham and Bean Soup Without a Bone?
Totally. If you’ve got all the time in the world, tossing ham bones or a ham hock into your Ham and Bean Soup to slow cook is a no brainer, but if you want to get this luscious recipe on the table on a busy weeknight, diced ham steak is the way to go. I find ham steaks near the eggs and breakfast sausage in the grocery store. You can also ask the deli department to slice you a ham steak from one of their hams.
Lastly, this recipe is fabulous for using up leftover holiday ham. Dice it up then toss it in!
What Beans to Use
I use Great Northern Beans in this recipe, which are creamy and not too large. Two other options are Cannellini beans, which are larger and a touch more firm than northern beans, and white navy beans which are the smallest and creamiest of the three. I prefer to use Bush’s canned Great Northern Beans, draining and rinsing them before adding to the soup.
How To Thicken Up Ham Soup
I use a light sprinkling of flour to give my Ham and Bean Soup a wonderful silkiness. The amount I’ve listed will give you an almost “Egg Drop Soup” consistency. If you want a thicker, creamer ham & bean soup, you can blend some of the beans with broth before adding to the soup.
Can Ham and Bean Soup be Frozen?
This recipe freezes beautifully. Cool the soup completely then scoop portions into Souper Cubes or Ziplock Freezer bags and freeze flat. Let thaw in the refrigerator 12 hours prior to meal time then pour into a soup pan and reheat over low.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat then add chopped carrots, celery, and onions. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the vegetables are tender, 10 minutes. Add garlic that’s been pressed or minced, plus a pinch of dried thyme then saute until the garlic is extremely fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.
Step 2: Sprinkle in gluten free flour (or all purpose flour if you don’t need to eat GF), which gives the soup a luxurious silkiness, then stir and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 3: Slowly stream in chicken stock while stirring then turn the heat up to high to bring the stock to a bubble. Add canned Great Northern Beans that have been drained and rinsed plus cubed ham steak then turn the heat back down to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
What to Serve with Ham and Bean Soup
Crispy crostini are not only simple to make but fabulous for soaking up that luscious, savory broth. Here’s how to make homemade crostini:
- Slice a baguette (gluten free if you need it) into 1/4″ thick slices then place onto a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil then season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees, or until crostini are golden brown, rotating the baking sheet once.
That’s all she wrote! Scoop the Ham and Bean Soup into bowls and you’re set. I hope you love this hearty, easy, flavor-packed soup recipe – enjoy!
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Ham and Bean Soup
Description
Ham and Bean Soup with canned beans is an easy bean soup recipe that's slightly thick, ultra hearty, and made with minimal ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large carrot, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 onion or 1 large shallot, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- big pinch dried thyme
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour blend
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1lb ham steak, cubed
Directions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion/shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender, 10 minutes. Add garlic and dried thyme then saute until garlic is extremely fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour then cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add glugs of chicken stock while stirring until a smooth sauce has been formed then pour in remaining stock. Turn heat up to high to bring broth to a boil then add beans and ham. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scoop into bowls then serve with crostini (directions below.)
Notes
- To make crostini: slice a gluten free baguette (or a regular baguette if you don't need to eat GF,) into 1/4" slices then arrange on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil then season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating the baking sheet once, or until crostini are golden brown.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
What a great and simple soup! It came together very quickly, which was perfect for a cold Monday night :)
Everyone loved this warming, delicious soup! Thanks for another great recipe!!
Thrilled to hear this, Katie! Thank you so much of the recipe review and rating!
I’m new to using ham steaks. Did you cook the ham steak before adding to the soup? Or do you allow it to cook in the soup itself? Thanks in advance!
Hi Susie! The ham is fully cooked already. :)
What no ham bone ,, great recipe Girl in central Texas fall garden doin good plantings beets carrots greens asian and western even bush beans tomato blooming again hope that they fruit should have green tomato for Christmas uh uh maybe !@!!!
AWESOME recipe. Absolutely love ham and bean soup, and this was my first time making it.
I tweaked a couple things (added 2 bay leaves, added an extra garlic clove, and subbed fresh thyme for dried thyme) just because I like to experiment. Turned out incredible.
If anyone’s curious, the recipe comes out to about 265 calories a cup w/ 25 g of protein (WOW), 30.2 g carbs, and 6.4 g of carbs!
Thank you for this easy, tasty and healthy soup. Though this is gluten free, I added a small amount of pasta shells. I’m delivering it to my 85 yr old Mom today since we are all in quarantine here in PA. It’s a hit!
I’ve made this soup twice now and it’s quickly become the favorite to-to lunch for my daughter and me.
This soup is just as described- incredibly easy, flavorful, and comforting. I normally don’t pay enough attention to buy chicken stock vs chicken broth, but I decided to follow Kristin’s advice and use stock in this recipe – so glad I did! The flavors are so rich and make the soup taste like it had been simmering all day, but it was extremely quick and simple! I don’t need to eat gluten free so we enjoyed the soup by dunking in some fresh homemade no-knead bread.
This looks delicious! Do you happen to know how many cups total this recipe makes? Just trying to decide if I should double it so we have plenty of leftovers. 😊
Hi Mandy! I don’t know specifically but I would estimate between 10-12 cups!
This is almost identical to the ham & bean soup I make, but I add in a splash of liquid smoke during the simmer phase. Puts it over the top. Yummy!
That sounds fantastic, Lara!
Where do you get the GF baguette?
I have tried both Schar and Against the Grain – both from Hyvee, though I think I’ve seen the ATG ones at Whole Foods too.
Adding to the repertoire of IGE winners! You always have great and easy soup recipes. So glad you included the crostini recipe as it immediately caught my eye
Soups are my very favorite recipes to create and eat! I hope you love this one, Carla!
I am excited to try this recipe. Ham and Bean soup has been a staple in my diet since I was a little kiddo. We did our ham a little differently though, and I’ve never found a ham that topped it — I buy a cooked bone-in ham (shank or butt portion) at HyVee and ask the meat counter to cut it in half. Place half of it in the crockpot with about 1-2 cups of water and cook on low for 8 hours. The ham just FALLS off the bone, a lot like pulled pork does. It’s salty and omg so delicious. I shred the ham and trim off the fat and use this in my ham and bean soup (it also features heavily in my scallopped potatoes & ham). The broth from the crockpot, when strained, makes perfect stock for the soup, too. The leftover ham not used in the soup can be frozen in its own broth and thawed as needed for recipes. My mom had a bigger crockpot and could cook the entire bone-in ham at once, but I always need to cut it in half. :-) I’ve never found any recipes that use ham this way, but it was my absolute fave growing up. The only challenge we had was not eating all the ham before dinner was made!
Oh my gosh my mouth is watering reading your description of how the ham shreds – YUM!!!! Thank you for sharing this tasty idea, Lydia!
What’s your favorite brand of baguette to make the crostini?
I used Schar’s baguettes for this soup and they had an odd aftertaste in my opinion. I really like the flavor of Against the Grain GF baguettes though!
Looks perfect for an easy Sunday dinner. Sorry you’ve been ill. I’ve had the flu myself, despite getting the flu shot, and it’s no fun.
Ugh I’m sorry to hear that, Janet! I had the flu too – and didn’t get a shot, like a complete idiot – so it has lasted foreeeever. 😭
Hi Kristen, love your blogs, look forward to new ones. Do you have a reason/preference for using stock vs. broth in this soup recipe. I do want to try it this weekend, but I think I’ll substitute with chicken chunks.
Since there’s so few ingredients, and it’s quick cooking, the stock makes the soup taste very rich and slow simmered compared to chicken broth!
Thanks for reminding me that I love ham and bean soup! So good. Hasn’t this winter been awful for illness?? Headed to Panama City Beach in a couple weeks to try and bake it out of us.
Ugh, I love that idea so much. I hear PCB is GORGEOUS! Enjoy your time, Danyel!!