Dump Meals

Pork

Ham and White Bean Soup

dumpmeals.com/recipes/ham-and-white-bean-soup/

Canned white beans, diced ham, carrots and celery in a thyme-scented broth.

Serves
6
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
Low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours
Slow cooker
6-quart

Ham and white bean soup is a good use for leftover ham. Diced ham and canned white beans simmer in chicken broth with carrots, celery, onion, garlic and thyme. The beans are canned, so there is nothing to soak and no kidney bean concern.

Mash a cup of the beans against the side of the pot before serving to thicken the broth. A handful of chopped parsley at the end adds color. Serve with cornbread or a slice of buttered toast. The soup keeps three or four days in the refrigerator, and it tastes better the next day.

Use leftover ham from a holiday dinner, or buy a ham steak and dice it. If you have a ham bone, it can go in with the beans, but the soup here works without one. Serve with a green salad.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

  • 1 pound cooked ham, diced
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

To serve

  • fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

  1. Put the ham, beans, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Add the broth, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Stir.
  3. Cover. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.
  4. Check that the soup reads at least 165°F and the carrots are soft. Remove the bay leaf.
  5. Mash about a cup of the beans against the side of the pot.
  6. Serve hot with parsley.

It's done when the soup is steaming hot and reads at least 165°F in the center. The carrots are soft. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Cooking for two

Use 1/2 lb ham, 1 can of beans, 1 or 2 carrots, 1 or 2 celery stalks and 2.5 cups broth. Use a 3-quart slow cooker, so the food still fills it about halfway. Check at 4 hours on low.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

  • Taste before salting. Ham is salty.
  • Leftover holiday ham works well if it has been in the refrigerator no more than 3 to 5 days. Dice it small.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in the slow cooker.

Food-safety sources

More pork

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