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    Ham and Bean Soup

    This easy Ham and Bean Soup is the perfect way to make a hearty and nutritious meal out of your holiday leftovers. I’ve been making this for years, and it’s one of my favorite ways to use up all that ham in the fridge or freezer.

    Close up overhead shot of a bowl of ham and bean soup.

    Ham is really the best leftover, isn’t it? From Split Pea Soup to Denver Omelette, it’s just so versatile. That’s why I always cook the biggest one I can find.

    I made this soup out of the last remnants of our Christmas Eve ham last week. Every time it might have a little tweaks here and there, but the basic recipe is always the same. Ham, aromatic veggies, beans, and some herbs for an extra punch of flavor.

    If you happen to have a ham bone, all the better. Just follow the same recipe and throw the bone in with the broth and simmer for a while before adding the other ingredients. It adds great flavor to the soup, but no worries if you don’t have one. This soup is still mighty good even without it.

    Slightly zoomed out shot of the bowl of soup.

    Try my Ham and Bean Soup recipe, and please leave a star rating and comment, we love to hear from you.

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    Ham and Bean Soup, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

    Bowl of this soup atop the Gypsy Plate.

    More Leftover Ham Recipes:
    Black Eyed Peas
    Habichuelas Guisadas
    Ham Broccoli Casserole
    Ham Bone Soup
    Ham and Swiss Quiche
    Hawaiian Fried Rice
    Ham and Cheese Gnocchi

    Featured image for ham and bean soup recipe.

    Ham and Bean Soup

    Yield: 6 servings
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes

    My easy Ham Bean Soup is a great way to make a hearty and nutritious meal out of your leftover ham.

    Ingredients

    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 3 medium carrots, diced
    • 3 stalks celery, diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ tsp crushed red pepper
    • 2 cups diced ham
    • 3 cans white beans (I use cannellini), drained and rinsed
    • 5 cups chicken stock or broth
    • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
    • ½ tsp paprika
    • 2 bay leaves
    • salt, to taste
    • pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until they begin to soften.
    2. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook for about a minute.
    3. Add ham, beans, chicken broth or stock, Italian seasoning, paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, then continue simmering for at least 30 minutes. I like to cook it a bit longer to allow the flavors to develop more, but 30 minutes works.
    4. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Serve with nice crusty bread and enjoy.

    Notes

    1. Because the ham is salty, I recommend using low sodium stock or broth, in order to give you more control over how much salt is added.
    2. If you have a ham bone, you can use that to add flavor to the broth. After sautéing the vegetables, add the bone and broth only, then let it simmer for a while before adding the rest of the ingredients.
    3. You can refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days. Reheat on stovetop over medium heat. The soup can also be refrigerated for a couple of months.

    Nutrition Information
    Yield 6 Serving Size 1
    Amount Per Serving Calories 414Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 36mgSodium 1348mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 11gSugar 7gProtein 31g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

    Picture of Alpana, blogger and recipe developer at GypsyPlate

    Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.

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