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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup makes tender Great Northern beans with savory ham and vegetables in a hands-off broth. Set it to Low for 8–9 hours until the beans are creamy and the ham pulls easily from the bone.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 9 hours
Total Time 9 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dried Great Northern beans
  • 1 lb Great Northern beans rinsed and sorted
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Onion
  • 1 yellow onion medium, diced
Carrots
  • 2 carrots medium, diced
Celery
  • 2 celery stalks diced
Garlic
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
Ham bone
  • 1 meaty ham bone
Cooked ham
  • 2 cup cooked ham diced
Low-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Water
  • 2 cup water
Bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
Salt
  • salt to taste
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the yellow onion, carrots, and celery for 5–6 minutes until slightly softened, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Slow cook the soup
  1. Transfer the vegetables to a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Add the Great Northern beans, ham bone, diced ham, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and black pepper, then cover.
  2. Cook on Low for 8–9 hours or High for 5–6 hours until the beans are tender and the ham easily falls from the bone.
Finish and season
  1. Remove the ham bone and bay leaves. Shred any remaining meat from the bone, discard the bone, and return the shredded ham to the soup.
  2. Taste and season with salt if needed. Stir in the fresh parsley and cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread or buttery biscuits.

Notes

For best flavor, rinse and sort the beans well so you don’t get any debris; no soaking is required, but avoid adding extra salt until after cooking so the broth stays balanced. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium broth and trim the ham bone meat before shredding, then add only the desired amount back.