Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans soups reamy white beans with smoky ham in a savoury broth flavoured with simple mire·poix (celery, onion and carrot) mustard and thyme. white bean soup, ham bone soup Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans ham

This creamy ham and bean soup is a hearty soup recipe that is easy to make and the perfect ham soup to make with leftover ham and ham bone. Creamy white beans with smoky ham in a savoury broth flavoured with simple mire·poix (celery, onion and carrot) mustard and thyme. It is a flexible recipe so you can flavor it with your favorite herbs and seasoning. It is finished with some cream for extra richness but you could also stir in some shredded cheddar cheese for even more flavor!

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

Ingredients For This Ham And Bean Soup Recipe

  • BUTTER or OLIVE OIL: Or you could use butter or plant based butter. I use 4 tablespoons which is the perfect amount to saute the veggies and make the roux
  • WHITE BEANS: I use cannellini beans but feel free to use any white beans like Navy beans, Great Northern beans, Baby Lima beans, butter beans or even chickpeas. Canned works great but you can also use dried beans you cooked from scratch.
  • ONIONS & GARLIC: Feel free to adjust amounts to taste - I used a yellow onion but a red one would work too or shallots
  • HAM & HAM BONE: You can use deli thicker cut ham, though it’s really the perfect recipe for leftover ham! If you don’t have a ham bone don’t worry. You can still get that great flavor from thick chunks of sliced ham. Throw them in with the stock and allow it to simmer along with the rest. Add crispy cooked bacon or pancetta at the end for garnish and even more flavor if you desire. You can also use 1 or 2 ham hocks instead. When soup is done you’ll remove the ham hock/ ham shanks (or leftover ham bone!) and shred the meat from it and add ham back into the soup
  • CARROT & CELERY: I love adding celery and carrots to soups for a compete mirepoix
  • FLOUR: This helps create a roux to thicken the soup.
  • WHITE WINE: Adds flavor to the soup. I usually like to use a dry white wine but if you prefer to leave it out simply replace with broth.
  • SPICES: I use thyme and bay leaf - you could also add in some red pepper flakes for a little extra heat. You could use more herbs if you wish or a seasoning blend you like - a good one is Italian seasoning as it is a blend of a few.
  • BROTH: Feel free to use vegetable broth/ stock or feel free to use chicken broth for more flavour - chose a low sodium one so you can control amount of salt in dish. I usually use chicken stock.
  • POTATO: Makes this soup heartier and also naturally helps thicken the soup. You will need 1 large russet potato.
  • HEAVY CREAM: I like to stir in a little heavy cream at the end for added richness and makes the soup creamier. I usually do ½ cup but for more richness add up to 1 cup.
  • FRESH HERBS: Finish the soup with a handful of chopped fresh parsley, or chives just before serving for a burst of fresh herb flavor.
  • OPTIONAL ADD INS: Toss in some chopped greens like a couple handfuls of chopped spinach or kale. Create an even richer soup by stirring in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese after simmering the soup with the cream.

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

Using Leftover Roasted Ham in this Recipe:

Making ham bone soup with leftover ham is one of my favourite way to use it. I usually freeze the bone in a ziplock bag and the sliced leftover ham in a separate bag. When using the frozen meat in something other than the soup I just thaw it in the fridge and I pan fry it to reheat with some of the reserved glaze. If you saved leftover meat for the soup you don’t even need to thaw it - just throw it in frozen. When it comes to the ham bone I also don’t bother to thaw it. You can if you remember but if you are like me chances are you will forget or there’s not enough room in the fridge to thaw it in there overnight.

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

Easy Instructions To Make This Ham & White Bean Soup (full instructions in recipe card below)

  1. DRAIN and rinse cans of beans and set aside
  2. SAUTE the veggies with butter until tender then add the spices and aromatics
  3. SPRINKLE over flour, stir in mustard, deglaze with wine
  4. Add all of the beans, potato, ham bone, ham and broth and SIMMER
  5. STIR in cream and simmer a couple mins
  6. SERVE with any of the toppings you desire

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

Ham And Bean Soup Storage & Freezing

  • STORAGE: To store leftovers, allow soup cool, transfer cooled soup to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up 3-5 days. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.
  • FREEZING: You can store this soup in the freezer in and airtight container that is freezer safe for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans

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Recipe

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
  • 2 (15 oz) cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 heaping cups diced cooked ham chopped or shredded
  • 1 ham bone (leftover)
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt and Black Pepper to taste

For serving

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or dill
  • ¼ cup minced fresh chives / green onions

Directions

  1. Melt butter in dutch oven or large pot over medium heat to medium high heat and saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme, until softened 3-5 mins.
  2. Sprinkle in the flour and add Dijon over the veggies and cook stirring to combine, 1 min.
  3. Stir in the white wine, if using. Stir well as you add the liquid to get rid of any lumps. Cook 1-2 minutes until thickened.
  4. Stir in the broth, diced potatoes, bay leaves, ham bone, chopped ham and beans.
  5. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes.
  7. Season the soup to taste with salt and lots of freshly cracked pepper. Remove bay leaves and stir in the chopped herbs.
  8. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with more fresh herbs and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Use a fork to gently smash some of the potatoes so that they thicken the soup even more if you prefer a thicker texture / consistency
  • For an even richer soup stir in 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese when you stir in the herbs.
  • Want to add more flavor to the ham and the soup: Saute the ham until golden and slightly crispy. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Don’t wipe out pot. and continue with recipe as is. Stir in the crispy ham when you stir in the cream.
  • I have not tested this recipe with dry beans or in the slow cooker but I am working on a crock pot or instant pot version.

Creamy Ham Bone Soup With White Beans