Description

This Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup is a hearty, comforting dish perfect for chilly days. Featuring tender beans, smoky ham, and a medley of aromatic vegetables slowly simmered to rich perfection, this recipe offers deep flavor with minimal effort. Whether you’re preparing a cozy family meal or batch cooking for the week, this soup delivers satisfying warmth and nutrition with every spoonful.

Ingredients

Scale

Vegetables

1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 medium-large)
1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
1 cup diced celery (about 3 sticks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 small cloves)

Main Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 (15.5-oz) cans navy, cannellini or great northern beans (a mix is also fine; rinsed and drained)
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2-3 sprigs thyme (OR 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1-½ pounds smoked ham hock (OR 1 pound ham, cubed)
1 dried bay leaf (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

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Instructions

Prep: This recipe works best in a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Get your ingredients ready by chopping vegetables and rinsing the beans.
Soften the vegetables (optional, but tasty): Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery, cooking for 5–7 minutes until softened and starting to brown slightly. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. This step enhances flavor but can be skipped to save time.
Add everything to the slow cooker: Transfer the sautéed vegetables to your slow cooker. Add the drained beans, chicken or vegetable broth, thyme sprigs, smoked ham hock or cubed ham, and the bay leaf if using. Gently stir the ingredients together.
Slow cook: Cover and cook the soup on LOW for 4–6 hours or on HIGH for 2–3 hours. The soup is ready when the vegetables are tender and the broth has developed a rich flavor.
Remove the ham hock: Take out the ham hock and thyme stems from the slow cooker. Pull the meat off the bone, discard any fat or gristle, and return the meat to the soup. If you’re using cubed ham, simply stir the soup well and proceed.
Thicken the soup (optional): For a thicker consistency, use an immersion blender to blend 1–2 cups of the soup, then stir it back in. This step is optional as the soup is delicious either way.
Season and serve: Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Using smoked ham hock adds more depth of flavor compared to cubed ham.
Sautéing the vegetables before slow cooking is optional but enhances the taste.
The soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
For a vegetarian version, omit the ham and use vegetable broth instead.
Adjust salt carefully since ham and broth can contain sodium.