Bean Soup Smoked Ham Potatoes (Print Version)

A comforting blend of beans, smoky ham, and potatoes simmered to rich, warming perfection.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 8.8 oz smoked ham, diced

→ Beans & Legumes

02 - 14 oz cooked white beans (cannellini or navy beans), drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

08 - 6.3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

→ Herbs & Spices

09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

→ Fats

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in diced smoked ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to extract and distribute its smoky flavor throughout the base.
04 - Add potatoes, beans, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and broth. Stir thoroughly to combine all components.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour until potatoes are tender and flavors have melded completely.
06 - Remove bay leaves. Taste the soup and adjust salt as needed to achieve desired seasoning.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under two hours but tastes like you've been tending to it all day.
  • The smoked ham does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you don't need fancy ingredients or technique.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and makes enough to feed a crowd or carry you through the week.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial sauté of the vegetables—those first few minutes of cooking the onion, carrot, and celery develop flavors that a raw dump of ingredients simply cannot achieve.
  • The potatoes will continue to soften as the soup sits, so if you're making this ahead, slightly undercook them by a few minutes since they'll finish their cooking during reheating.
03 -
  • Toast a ham bone in a dry pan for five minutes before adding it to the pot—this deepens its flavor and creates a soup that tastes like someone's been cooking it since morning.
  • Add the fresh parsley right before serving rather than stirring it in, so it stays bright green and contributes its fresh herbal quality rather than becoming dark and muted from the heat.
Go Back