Ham and Bean Soup is quick and simple yet tastes like it came from a cafe or diner! Slightly thick and ultra hearty, it is nourishing and rich in savory flavor.
I’ve officially emerged from the depths of the germ factory formerly known as my home! I don’t know whether to tent the house and set off a lysol bomb in every room, 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 and I don’t know if we’re through the woods yet, but at least Mom’s on the mend and cooking again. I haven’t made us anything more complicated than toast for a good seven days so I’m easing back into things with this incredibly easy Ham and Bean Soup recipe that is not only quick and simple to make, but extremely nourishing too. Speaking from experience, it’s exactly the type of food you crave when you’re sick and miserable!
What’s Inside
A base of sauteed vegetables, garlic, and a pinch of dried herbs joins rich and flavorful chicken stock, canned beans, and cubed ham steak in this simple yet outstanding soup that simmers for just 20 minutes. Just enough time to make a batch of crispy, gluten free crostini to dunk in and sop up all that luscious broth. Between the rich chicken stock and salty ham, which kind of self-seasons the soup, 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 also used gluten free flour to give the broth a slightly velvety texture. It is perfection!
Did I mention this soup was easy? I made a “nourishing” chicken soup recipe a couple days ago and almost fell over from the effort of browning chicken thighs, hand grating ginger, mincing like 12 cloves of garlic… It was good but just too much. This soup tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, yet comes together in minutes.
Sick, well, or somewhere in between, I know you’ll love this hearty, comforting hug in a bowl!
How to Make Ham and Bean Soup
Start by heating 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 large chopped carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1/2 yellow onion OR 1 large shallot, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender, 10 minutes. Add 2 cloves garlic that have been pressed or minced plus a big pinch dried thyme then saute until the garlic is extremely fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.
Next sprinkle in 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour then stir and cook for 1 more minute. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour (blue bag) – if you don’t need to eat gluten free you could use all-purpose flour.
Next add 4 cups chicken stock a glug at a time while stirring to ensure the flour doesn’t clump then turn the heat up to high to bring the stock to a bubble. Add 2 cans Great Northern Beans that have been drained and rinsed (I use Bush’s) and 1lb ham steak that’s been cut into cubes. Turn the heat back down to medium then simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
How to Make Gluten Free Crostini
While the soup simmers, bake a batch of gluten free crostini to dunk into the luscious broth. Slice a gluten free baguette 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 the crostini are golden brown, rotating the baking sheet once.
That’s all she wrote! Scoop the Ham and Bean Soup into bowls then serve with a side salad and crostini, and you’re set! I hope you love this hearty, easy, flavor-packed soup recipe! Enjoy!
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Gluten Free Pizza BreadsticksHam and Bean Soup
Description
Ham and Bean Soup is quick and simple yet tastes like it came from a cafe or diner! Slightly thick and ultra hearty, it is super hearty and comforting!
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 to a boil then add beans and ham. Turn heat back down to medium / 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.
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!!
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!
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. 😭
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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 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.
I’ve made this soup twice now and it’s quickly become the favorite to-to lunch for my daughter and me.
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!