Like so many great foods, beans and ham bones started as an emergency food born out of necessity, and eventually became a perennial favorite. Here are 16 pairings of ham and bones that are worth a shot.
Classic Ham and Bean Soup
This should be your starting point. Rather than using a long-cooking ham bone, this recipe uses precooked ham from the supermarket, which is just fine.
Ingredients
Method
- Bring beans and soaking water to full boil in large saucepan. Boil 2 minutes; cover, remove from heat, and stand 60 minutes. Drain and rinse.
- Heat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in covered 6-quart oven-safe pot over medium. Cook onion, carrots, and celery 7 minutes, then garlic 1 minute.
- Add drained beans, broth, bay, savory, and pepper. Simmer; cover tightly and transfer to oven.
- Bake 1 1/2 hours; stir gently and check a bean. Bake covered another 30 to 45 minutes until nearly tender, adding measured hot water if liquid no longer covers beans.
- Fold in ham; bake covered 15 to 20 minutes more until beans tender and ham 165°F. Add remaining optional water only if too thick.
- Discard bay; stir in vinegar. Taste before adding up to measured 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rest 5 minutes; divide among six bowls.
Ham Bone Soup with Barley
If you've got that leftover roast from Easter, this is where the ham bone does its magic. Barley, mushrooms, and green beans provide the substance.
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Ingredients
Method
- Put ham bone, stock water, onion, celery, and bay in 8-quart pot. Gently simmer; skim foam and partly cover. Cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours until meat loosens.
- Lift bone onto tray. Strain stock; discard vegetables and bay, skim excess fat, and measure 7 cups, adding water if needed.
- Once cool to handle, pull usable meat into small pieces; discard bone, gristle, and excess fat.
- Heat oil in clean soup pot over medium-high. Brown mushrooms 6 to 8 minutes; add measured stock, barley, thyme, and pepper.
- Simmer partly covered 25 minutes. Add beans, bone meat, and measured extra ham; simmer 15 to 20 minutes more until barley and beans tender and ham 165°F.
- Add lemon juice; divide among six bowls with barley, vegetables, and meat evenly distributed.
Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
Split pea soup has become so associated with ham that it's hard for me to imagine it without that smoky, salty flavor. Unlike a lot of other legumes, there's no need to presoak the split peas, and you can just start from dry.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots with oil and salt on sheet; roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender with browned edges.
- Melt butter in soup pot over medium; soften leeks 5 minutes. Stir garlic and cumin 1 minute.
- Add peas, broth, and pepper; simmer partly covered over low 45 to 55 minutes, occasionally stirring bottom, until peas easily collapse.
- Add carrots; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully immersion-blend smooth, blade submerged.
- Fold in ham; heat over low 5 minutes to 165°F. Add lemon juice and up to measured cup water as needed for thick but pourable soup.
- Divide among six bowls, including ham in each.
Ham and Potato Soup with Leeks
This really is a potato soup, not a bean soup, but with chunks of ham, it's not far off. Combined, the peas, leeks, and parsley give this a fresh green flavor profile, and other fresh herbs would be very welcome too.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in soup pot over medium; cook leeks 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until soft without browning.
- Add potatoes, broth, bay, and pepper; gently simmer partly covered 12 to 15 minutes until potatoes just tender.
- Add ham and peas; simmer 4 to 5 minutes until peas bright and ham 165°F. Avoid hard boiling to keep potatoes intact.
- Discard bay; remove from heat. Add zest, lemon juice, and parsley.
- Taste before adding up to measured salt. Divide among six bowls with potatoes, ham, and peas in each.
Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Ham
I absolutely love pureed white bean soups, which are extra creamy without a drop of cream. This recipe starts from dry beans, but if you don't have a pressure cooker, either give them an overnight soak or use canned.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil on saute in 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Cook ham 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until edges brown and meat 165°F. Plate.
- Cook fennel and shallots 5 minutes. Stir garlic 30 seconds; add 1 cup broth and scrape bottom completely clean.
- Add beans, remaining broth, thyme, and pepper. Stay below bean half-full line; lock lid and pressure-cook on high 35 minutes.
- Naturally release until indicator drops, about 20 to 30 minutes. Open; check beans completely soft. If firm, pressure-cook another 5 minutes; naturally release again.
- Discard thyme stems; carefully immersion-blend smooth, blade submerged. Add lemon juice and up to measured hot water if too thick to pour.
- Taste before adding up to measured salt. If needed, rewarm ham separately in small skillet over medium to 165°F. Divide soup among six bowls; top with ham.
15-Bean Soup with Ham
Mixed-bean bags give you diverse flavors and textures. If there's a seasoning packet, toss it — you're going to get much better flavor by dictating your own seasoning.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover beans with soaking water; refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. Drain; rinse. Prep time includes 8-hour soak. Put in large pot with fresh boiling water.
- Maintain full rolling boil 30 minutes, adding some measured 2 cups hot water as needed to submerge beans. Drain, rinse, and return with measured broth.
- Simmer partly covered 60 to 90 minutes until largest beans fully tender, checking several types. Add up to measured cup hot water if broth low.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium. Cook onion, celery, and carrot 7 minutes; add garlic, paprika, and oregano 1 minute. Add tomatoes and roasted pepper; simmer 5 minutes.
- Fold tomato mixture, ham, and black pepper into tender beans. Simmer 15 minutes until ham 165°F and softer beans lightly thicken broth.
- Add vinegar; taste before adding up to measured salt. Divide among eight bowls with mixed beans and ham in each.
White Bean and Ham Soup with Escarole
White beans and escarole are a classic pairing in Italian food, and this recipe makes the formula heartier with orzo and ham. If you're planning to have leftovers, cook the orzo separately.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in soup pot over medium; soften onion 5 minutes. Add garlic 1 minute.
- Add wine; simmer 2 to 3 minutes to reduce by half. Add broth and rosemary; gently simmer.
- Add orzo; simmer 5 minutes, stirring bottom once.
- Add beans, escarole, ham, and pepper; gently simmer 5 to 7 minutes until orzo tender, escarole softened, and ham 165°F.
- Remove rosemary; add lemon juice. Taste before adding up to measured salt. Divide among six bowls; serve promptly.
Ham and Cabbage Soup with Sauerkraut
If you've ever had Polish kapusniak, you know how good sauerkraut in soup can be. You only want a touch of tomato here, and it's mostly for color. This is a cabbage soup, not a tomato soup.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss cabbage with 1 tablespoon oil on sheet; roast 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until tender with browned edges.
- Heat remaining tablespoon oil in soup pot over medium. Soften onion 6 to 7 minutes; stir garlic, paste, marjoram, and paprika 1 minute.
- Add broth and drained sauerkraut; gently simmer partly covered 15 minutes.
- Fold in roasted cabbage, ham, and pepper; simmer 5 to 7 minutes until ham 165°F. Stir gently to keep larger cabbage pieces intact.
- Divide among six bowls with both cabbages and ham in each.
Ham and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms
Some favor a creamy, blended lentil soup, while others prefer whole lentils, and if you're in the latter camp, this is for you. I'd probably sub out the red wine for white myself, but it's up to you.
Ingredients
Method
- Put hocks, stock water, onion, and bay in large pot. Gently simmer; skim foam and partly cover. Cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours until meat tender and pulls from bones.
- Lift hocks onto tray. Strain stock; discard onion and bay, skim excess fat, and measure 5 cups, adding water if needed.
- Once cool to handle, discard skin, bones, and gristle; tear usable meat bite-size.
- Heat butter and oil in clean soup pot over medium-high. Brown mushrooms 7 to 8 minutes; add garlic 30 seconds. Add wine; reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add measured stock, lentils, pearl onions, thyme, pepper, and meat. Simmer partly covered 30 to 40 minutes until lentils tender but intact and ham 165°F.
- Add sherry vinegar; taste before adding up to measured salt. Divide among six bowls.
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
This soup goes heavy on the lima beans, but these thankfully bear little in common with the frozen green things that haunted your childhood nightmares. Dry limas are extra creamy in soup, and pureed celeriac makes things even creamier.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover beans with soaking water; refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. Drain; rinse. Prep time includes 8-hour soak. Heat oven to 400°F.
- Cut top from garlic; drizzle oil, foil-wrap, and roast 40 to 45 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, full rolling-boil beans in fresh boiling water 30 minutes; drain.
- Put beans, ham bone, celery root, and onion in 7-quart slow cooker. Squeeze roasted garlic from skins into cooker; add soup water, sage, and pepper.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until beans very tender and meat loosens. Lift bone and celery root out.
- Immersion-blend celery root with 1 cup broth in tall heatproof container; return puree. Pull usable meat from bone; discard bone and gristle and return meat.
- Add spinach; cover and cook on high 15 to 20 minutes until greens softened and ham 165°F. Add lemon juice; taste before adding up to measured salt. Divide among eight bowls.
Ham and Corn Chowder with Cornbread Dumplings
No beans here, but corn seems close enough. Ham is great in corn chowder anyway, but the cornmeal dumplings floating on top fit perfectly.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt soup butter in wide 6-quart pot over medium. Cook onion and pepper 7 minutes; stir tablespoon soup flour 1 minute.
- Gradually add broth, then corn, ham, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes until vegetables tender and ham 165°F.
- Add cup soup milk; gently simmer. Mix dumpling flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; rub in cold butter to small crumbs.
- Stir separate 1/2 cup dumpling milk into dry mixture just until soft dough forms. With two spoons, drop twelve equal small spaced mounds over simmering soup.
- Cover tightly; gently simmer 14 to 16 minutes without lifting lid. Split dumpling; center should be fluffy without wet dough. Cover and cook 2 minutes more if needed.
- Rest off heat 3 minutes. Divide among six bowls with two dumplings each.
Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ham and Collards
Across the South, hoppin' John and collards are New Year's staples. This recipe combines the two into one pot, and ham goes great with both.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil rice and rice water in small saucepan. Cover; cook over low 40 to 45 minutes until tender. Rest covered off heat 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in soup pot over medium; cook onion 5 minutes, then garlic 1 minute.
- Add peas, broth, bay, and cayenne; simmer partly covered 45 to 55 minutes until peas nearly tender.
- Add collards and ham; simmer 15 to 20 minutes until greens and peas tender and ham 165°F.
- Discard bay; fold in rice. Simmer 2 minutes; add vinegar and taste before adding up to measured salt.
- Divide among six bowls with peas, greens, rice, and ham in each.
Ham and Hominy Soup with Roasted Squash
Hominy might not be a bean, but it makes a great counterbalance to a spicy broth, and the texture is second to none. Roasted squash provides creaminess.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt on sheet pan. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender with browned edges.
- Heat remaining tablespoon oil in soup pot over medium. Cook onion 6 minutes, then garlic, cumin, chipotle, and adobo sauce 1 minute.
- Add half the roasted squash and 2 cups broth; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully immersion-blend smooth.
- Add remaining broth, hominy, ham, and reserved squash. Gently simmer 10 minutes until hominy hot and ham 165°F.
- Off heat, stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste; add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt only if needed.
- Divide among six bowls, distributing hominy, ham, and squash evenly.
Creamy Cauliflower Ham Soup
This creamy cauliflower ham soup is a delicious comfort food meal to enjoy on those chilly Fall and Winter nights! It's a quick meal to make for a family dinner and a great way to use up leftover ham!
Recipe and photo: Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love (bakeitwithlove.com)
Get the full recipe at Bake It With Love.
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
I'm pretty skeptical of unitasker tools, but I'll make an exception for the potato ricer. However, even if you don't have one, you can run the boiled potatoes through a sieve to get pretty much the same effect.
Ingredients
Method
- Simmer steaming water in covered pot below steamer basket. Add potatoes; steam 20 to 25 minutes until very tender, adding measured hot water as needed to prevent drying.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in soup pot over medium-low. Cook shallots 4 to 5 minutes until soft without browning. Add broth; gently simmer.
- Heat milk in small saucepan until steaming. Rice hot drained potatoes directly into broth; gently whisk to distribute without beating.
- Stir in warm milk and mascarpone until smooth; add ham, white pepper, and nutmeg. Heat on low 5 to 7 minutes until ham 165°F; do not boil hard.
- Off heat, stir in chives. Taste before adding up to measured salt.
- Divide among six bowls; serve smooth and steaming.
Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Wild rice is about the toughest grain out there (and for the pedants, yes, I know, it's technically not a grain). Keep everything separate right until the very end, and if you're planning for leftovers, store the individual components separately in the fridge.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil wild rice in rice-cooking water in saucepan. Reduce heat; partly cover and simmer 45 to 60 minutes until tender with many grains split. Drain well.
- Heat oven to 425°F. Toss celery root with oil and salt on sheet pan; roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender with browned edges.
- Melt butter in soup pot over medium. Cook mushrooms and onion 7 to 8 minutes until mushrooms brown and onion softens.
- Add cider; simmer 2 minutes. Add broth, thyme, ham, and pepper; gently simmer 10 minutes.
- Fold in drained rice and roasted celery root; simmer 5 minutes until hot and ham 165°F. Remove thyme stems; stir in mustard.
- Divide among six bowls, distributing rice, vegetables, and ham evenly.
Soaking beans vs not soaking them
Soaking gives larger dried beans a head start and can make their cooking more even, but it doesn’t replace the cooking itself. Pick through the beans first, rinse them and use plenty of water because they expand. For an overnight soak, keep the covered bowl in the refrigerator, then drain and rinse before adding fresh cooking liquid. The quick-soak method in the pinto soup begins with a short boil and an hour off heat; that resting hour belongs in your plan even though you’re not standing at the stove. Old beans can still take longer after soaking, so test their centers rather than trusting the timer alone.
Split peas and lentils don’t need that overnight step, and the pressure-cooked navy beans use a method designed for unsoaked beans. Follow the specific recipe instead of moving the same timing between appliances. A dried mixed-bean bag may contain kidney beans, which need a proper rolling boil; the fifteen-bean recipe specifies thirty minutes before the gentler simmer. A slow cooker warming gradually isn’t a substitute for that boil. Add acidic ingredients such as tomatoes and vinegar after the beans soften when the recipe directs, because acid can delay tenderizing. Salt from ham varies, so taste near the end before adding the measured optional salt. If the liquid drops before the beans are ready, add hot water in small amounts and continue cooking until the largest beans are soft all the way through.
Getting the most out of one ham bone
Keep a useful amount of meat attached when you save the bone, and package it promptly for the refrigerator or freezer. Before making stock, trim away thick sugary glaze, loose cloves and any badly scorched exterior pieces that would dominate the broth. Put the bone in a pot that lets it sit comfortably in the measured water, then simmer gently rather than boiling hard. Skim the early foam and give the connective tissue time to soften. The stock should smell like ham and taste savory, but it doesn’t need to be aggressively salty to have value in the next pot of soup.
Lift out the bone before adding ingredients you plan to serve, and strain the stock so small bone fragments and spent vegetables stay out of the bowl. Once the bone is cool enough to handle, pull off usable meat and discard skin, gristle and hard fat. Measure the strained liquid because evaporation changes the amount; the stock-based recipes here tell you how much finished broth to use. A very clean bone may give good broth but little meat, so keep some chopped leftover ham available when the recipe calls for an extra measured amount. Cool stock promptly in shallow containers or an ice-water bath, refrigerate within two hours and use within three to four days, or freeze in labeled portions. One bone makes a batch of stock whose yield depends on its size and the pot, so measure what you have before choosing how many soups to make.
