Neighborhood Ham and Bean Soup

"The flavors in this bean soup remind me of the bean soup my grandmother used to make on our farm in Ohio when I was a young girl. I love to make it during the winter months -- it doesn't last long. My daughter is now making it for her family as well. Maybe it's called "Neighborhood" bean soup because the neighbors love it when I make it -- it's a wonderful soup to share with special friends. It is great served wtih a nice piece of hot corn bread. I can't remember exactly where I found the recipe -- but I'm glad I have it and I hope you will feel the same."
 
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photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by akgrown photo by akgrown
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
Ready In:
6hrs 30mins
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
10
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ingredients

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directions

  • Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2”.
  • Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.
  • Add broth, water, ham bone, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours (I find I usually add at least an hour to this).
  • Sauté’ onions, carrots and celery in oil; add to soup along with cubed potato (if using).
  • Cover and simmer 1 hour longer.
  • Debone ham and cut into chunks; return to soup.
  • Skim fat (I find I don’t have any to skim).
  • I like to mash some of the beans once they get soft. My total cooking time is more like 6 hours than 4 hours.
  • Great served with corn bread.

Questions & Replies

  1. Not possible to order ham hocks on line for a curb-side pickup. What do you think would be a good substitute: chunks of ham steak or smoked sausage?
     
  2. How many calories for a bowl of this soup?
     
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Reviews

  1. This is a great recipe, much like what I have done for years but it is nice to have it written down as I always kind of wing it so you never know how it will come out :) I do add potato flakes (instant potatoes) just a few minutes before serving to thicken it up. I learned that trick years ago & use it with several soup recipes. Thanks for a good comfort food recipe!!
     
  2. I’ve probably made this recipe at least 20 times and it’s always delicious! The only change I make is to bring the beans, ham, water and broth to a boil, skim the foam then add seasonings. If I add seasonings first some of them get skimmed off with the foam. I don’t add the potatoes. I always freeze some and it reheats well. (The beans don’t hold their shape too well but still tastes great!) I do make it every Halloween (today)... it’s a simple supper for fall nights and easy to eat between answering the doorbell!
     
  3. Just finished making and tasting this recipe. Fabulous!!! It is really worth taking the time to make this recipe. I know many people shy away from using dried beans, but the method that this member used in the recipe is fool-proof. By using dried beans you control what your family eats! I'll be using some of this soup this week and then freezing the rest in portion sizes to take for lunches. I did make some notations: (1) Omitted the chicken bouillon granules, (2) Added 1 tsp dried celery seeds, (3)Omitted the "handful of chopped celery leaves," (4)Cooking time at step number five was reduced to 1 hour because beans were soft, (5) Used the recommended low sodium chicken broth, (6) Used 2 larged potatoes, cut into cubes, (7)Briefly used an immersion blender to thicken up the soup. and (8) Reversed steps number seven and eight. In other words, I deboned ham and cut into chunks and then covered and simmered for an addional hour. The member listed cooking time of 4-6 hours. I was probably at 2 1/2 hours (not including soaking the beans for 1 hour). ADD: This recipe made 13 2/3 cups of soup using my notations. NOTE: If you don't have a meaty ham bone, you could subtitute 2 cups of diced ham in this recipe. If this is the case, I would add the ham at the same time you add the onions, carrots and celery.
     
  4. Delicious soup! Didn't have ham bone, so used diced ham. Didn't have savory, so used 2 bay leaves. Used diced frozen potatoes. Caramelized the "holy trinity" before adding to soup. AWESOME RECIPE.
     
  5. This was lovely and so easy to make! I followed the directions up until putting it all together. Then I put it in my crock pot and let it go for 8 hours. Smells wonderful and didn't need any additional seasoning when in the bowl. I didn't have ham bone, so I just used diced ham put in from the start. Thank you for some nice lunches!
     
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Tweaks

  1. This turned out great. I did have to use beef stock instead of chicken (because I didn't have any chicken stock). Used 6 cups beef and 2 cups dry white wine instead of water. Really nice flavors, my husband really liked it and he usually doesn't like bean soups.
     
  2. Things I did differently: used a 16 bean mix that had soaked overnight; used 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups of water; eliminated the boullion completetly (too much sodium!); did not add savory because I don't have that; sauteed the veggies in olive oil instead of vegetable oil; added fresh cracked pepper to the veggies while they cooked. Great soup - very hearty!
     
  3. I used a ham bone with about 1.5 cups of meat on it that I had in my freezer from the last time we had ham. I made a few minor changes to the recipe, but I don't think they impacted the taste. I skipped the water and bouillon, but used 8 cups of broth instead. I also didn't have savory, so I used extra thyme and sage to make up for it. The only other change I made was to use celeriac instead of celery. All together, I cooked this for 8 hours -- I think it only gets better the longer you keep it cooking. I'm already looking forward to lunch tomorrow!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

This is a picture of me with my oldest grandson, DJ and was taken this past summer when we went on a cruise and land tour of Alaska. I am retired after working for the same company for 25 years. My husband is a retired military officer. After the military he started working for Lockheed and is now retired from there as well. We live in San Jose, CA and have lived in the same house for over 33 years. We have two grown children and 6 beautiful grandchildren. I love to try new recipes and jazz up old ones. Taste of Home and Southern Living are my favorite recipe magazines(I enjoy reading a little bit about the people who submit the recipes). Recipe Zaar is just an incredible site. I've made many new friends since joining. I have tons of cookbooks -- but now when I need a new recipe that I know I can count on, I come here! <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/marienixon_715/kittencaljpg.jpg"> <img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/vjuhl/MEPcookathon.jpg">
 
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