Each New Year this slow cooker ham and bean soup is a tradition. I will save some leftover ham, and the ham bone from Christmas dinner in the freezer until it is time to make the soup. I worry that if I skipped this step, then the ham and bean soup won’t have as long of a shelf life. And after you try it you’ll definitely want this soup around as long as possible! The recipe itself should be pretty self-explanatory, but below are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned over many years while making this dish.
Prepping the ham:
A day before I want to make this soup, I will let the ham and ham bone thaw in the freezer. It’s OK if it is still slightly frozen, it just might extend the cook time a little. Make sure you wrap the ham in cheesecloth before adding it to the slow cooker. As the collagen breaks down, small pieces of bone may break away and be free to roam around your ham and bean soup, which is not good eats! Additionally, you could wrap the thyme and bay leaf into this delicious packet which will make removal easier.
To soak, or not to soak
A trick that has been taught over the years is to soak beans overnight in water to make them less “gassy”. I’ve used this trick myself and it does definitely work. But there is one drawback: as the bean absorbs the liquid there is no flavor being added to the bean! The whole point of this recipe is to slow cook the beans over several hours to allow them to soak up the flavors from the delicious broth we are making. Once the beans plump up, there is little room for flavor to be added, so why waste this flavoring opportunity on plain water?
If you really want to soak the beans first I can’t stop you. But I would suggest you use distilled water. Tap water can contain minerals that may prevent the beans from plumping. Adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda will also improve the results, just remember to rinse the baking soda off of the beans before adding to the soup.
Also, if you pre-soak the beans you will likely need to reduce the cooking time. I can’t tell you exactly much to reduce it by, but you may want to shave 30 minutes off and taste the beans. Cook more as needed, until they reach your desired texture.
What kind of beans do you put in ham and bean soup?
I prefer the great northern bean, but pinto beans are traditional as well. I have never tried black beans in a ham and bean soup, but they may work as well. The drawback to using black beans may be the final color of the soup, which would be blackish. If you do cook it with black beans let me know about your experience in the comments section below.
Best way to cook ham and bean soup?
If you have been reading this far you know this dish is perfectly suitable for the slow cooker. If you don’t have one, can’t wait 8 hours until dinner, or just don’t want to use it, it is possible to make this on the stovetop. I would focus on adding all ingredients except the beans and cream to a large pan and simmer for at least two hours. After two hours add the dry beans and cook according to the package instructions. Once the beans are cooked remove the ham bone. Then add remaining ingredients. If you do cook it this way let me know about your experience in the comments section below.
How can you thicken ham and bean soup?
As they cook, the beans will break down and release starch into the soup. Combined with the flour found in the canned bean sauce, the soup will thicken itself. To further thicken, a slurry of heavy cream and cornstarch is added.
Why do you add vinegar to bean soup?
Adding vinegar, or other acids, to a dish is a widely used culinary trick to cut the richness of a dish. Acidic ingredients come in many forms including vinegar, pickled vegetables, and lemon juice. Our ham and bean soup is definitely a rich and greatly benefits from adding some acid. Instead of straight vinegar, my preferred ingredient is a bottled Louisiana hot sauce. It is vinegar based, and the heat from the cayenne truly compliments the other ingredients.
It is important to wait to add the hot sauce (or any acid) until the beans have fully cooked. Adding it earlier may prevent them from reaching full tenderness.
