Description
A cozy and comforting ham and bean soup perfect for winter evenings, made effortlessly in a slow cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb dried navy beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb ham hock or diced ham
- 8 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Rinse the dried navy beans under cold water. Soak them overnight, or if you’ve forgotten, you can quick-soak by boiling them for 2 minutes and letting them sit for 1 hour.
- Prepare the vegetables: chop the onion, carrots, celery, and mince the garlic.
- Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the soaked beans, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, and diced ham to the pot. Stir everything together.
- Pour in the chicken broth or water to cover the beans. Optionally, add the diced tomatoes.
- Simmer the mixture: bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the beans are tender.
- Check the consistency; if it’s too thick, add more broth or water.
- Season to taste, remove the bay leaf, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve hot with fresh chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Soup tastes even better the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 35mg