Smoky White Bean & Ham Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This Southern-style white bean and ham soup gets its rich, smoky flavor from slow-simmered ham hocks and simple, wholesome ingredients.
This rich and smoky white bean and ham soup is modestly adapted from Georgia chef Hugh Acheson’s cookbook, How to Cook: Building Blocks and 100 Simple Recipes for a Lifetime of Meals. The book is intended for kitchen novices—Acheson wrote it with his teenage daughters in mind—but I think it’s a wonderful resource for seasoned cooks, too.
This recipe, for example, begins with a lesson on how to cook dried beans, and then shows how to transform them into a flavorful, hearty soup by adding smoked ham hocks, chicken stock, vegetables, and herbs.
I made a few tweaks to the recipe, like adding more ham and puréeing a portion of the soup to thicken it up a bit. Feel free to skip the puréeing step if you prefer a brothier soup.
“To quote my husband: “Who else is eating something this good tonight? NOBODY!””
What You’ll Need to Make Smoky White Bean & Ham Soup
Smoked ham hocks, or pork knuckles, come from the ankle region of the pig’s leg. In Southern cooking, hocks are often used to add a rich, meaty, and smoky flavor to soups, stews, and greens. They are available in most supermarkets and are very inexpensive. If for some reason you can’t find them, pork shank can be substituted.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Quick-soak the beans. Place the dried beans in a large pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for one hour. Drain well.
Step 2: Build the base. Add the drained beans to a large pot or Dutch oven, then pour in the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, onion, and ham hocks. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer until the beans are just tender, about an hour. Scoop out the bay leaves, onion pieces, and ham hocks. Toss the bay leaves and onions, but set the ham hocks aside to cool (you’ll pull the meat off of them later).
Step 3: Add the veggies and seasoning. Add the minced onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes.
Step 4: Shred the ham. Meanwhile, while the soup is cooking, and when the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the hocks. Discard any bone, fat, and tough sinew, then chop the meat finely.
Step 5: Purée a portion of the soup. Use a ladle to transfer about 2 cups of the beans and vegetables, along with a bit of broth, to a blender or food processor. (If using a blender, remove the center knob on the lid and cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters.) Purée until smooth.
Step 6: Finish the soup. Stir the puréed mixture back into the pot to thicken the soup. Add the shredded ham and kale, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if needed. At this point, you can serve the soup or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Step 7: Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil for extra richness and a generous sprinkle of grated cheese. Enjoy!
More Hearty Soup Recipes You May Like
Smoky White Bean and Ham Soup
This smoky white bean and ham soup is pure comfort, perfect for a chilly night.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried white navy beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and checked for stones
- 6 cups water
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered, plus ½ cup minced (you'll need 2 onions)
- 2 pounds smoked ham hocks
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 (14 oz) can chopped or diced tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Salt
- 1½ cups chopped kale or other dark leafy greens
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (optional)
- Finely grated pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving
Instructions
- Quick-soak the beans: Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain in a colander.
- Place the drained beans into a 5.5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Add the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, quartered onion, and ham hocks. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat until the beans are just tender, about 1 hour (depending on the size of the beans, it could take a bit longer).
- Once the beans are tender, pull out the bay leaves, onion remnants, and ham hocks. Discard the bay leaves and onions, but set the ham hocks aside to cool.
- Add the minced onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. While the soup is cooking, and when the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the hocks, discard any bone, fat, and tough sinew, and chop the meat finely.
- Use a ladle to transfer about 2 cups of the beans and vegetables, along with a bit of broth, to a blender or food processor. (If using a blender, be sure to remove the center knob on the lid and cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters.) Purée until smooth, and then stir the mixture back into the soup. Add the meat and kale to the soup and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if necessary (I usually add about 1 teaspoon more; beans require a lot of salt to bring out their flavor). At this point, you can serve the soup or refrigerate it for up to 3 days. (It will thicken up in the fridge; thin it with a bit of water, if necessary.)
- When you're ready to eat, garnish each bowl with a drizzle with olive oil (if using) and a heap of grated cheese.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. through.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (Nutritional data is based on 2 tsp salt and does not include oil and cheese - 8 servings)
- Calories: 468
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 41g
- Sodium: 1326mg
- Cholesterol: 73mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Delicious! Didn’t have a ham hock so improvised with some smoked ham & bacon (added after the pureeing & then simmered for a while). Thanks for another great recipe. Discovered your site about a year ago — you’ve been the star of many dinners since!
This is the most wonderful soup for a chilly, snowy or not, day. I had a ham bone from New Years and one ham hock on hand. Used great northern beans and fire roasted tomatoes for an extra smokiness. This goes to the top of my soup file! Totally comforting and totally yummy! Just delicious. Thanks Jenn.
Love this soup! The last time I made it, the beans didn’t soften up enough following these directions. I don’t have a lot of experience using dried beans. Would an overnight soak or crockpot prep affect the result of the soup?
Thank you!
Hi Amy, I’m sorry you had a problem with the texture of the beans! It’s perfectly fine to do an overnight soak-next time I’d try that. Please report back and let me know if you see an improvement. 😊
Do you have a suggested substitute for the tomatoes? I have taken nightshades out my diet but love this soup! Thanks
Hi Melissa, you can just omit them – the soup will still be good. 😊
Quick question on the beans….
I know soaking the beans is definitely superior to canned, But if I need to sub canned beans in a pinch will that work?
Any further recommendations if I do ?
THANKS! You are simply the best!
~Jen 🙂
Hi Jen, Yes, canned beans will work. Because they just need to be warmed through, I’d add them right before you pull out the ham hocks. I’d love to hear how it comes out! 😊
O My Goodness, this soup looks AMAZING! We have a few vegetarians in the family so I’m wondering if you think I can get a similar ham hock depth of flavor by using smoked paprika and maybe adding more salt? If you think this might work how much smoked paprika would you suggest?
Then we can serve ham on the side for anyone who wants to add it to their bowls!
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Jul, You don’t need to tweak it much — I’d add either a pinch of smoked paprika or put a Parmesan rind in the soup while it’s simmering. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Love this soup. I used smoked necks (which don’t produce any usable meat) instead of hocks because hocks weren’t available. I also used a little less water – 4c vs 6 and some onion powder instead of minced onion because I have a fussy eater who doesn’t like onion texture. Amazing soup, and even better the next day. This one will definitely be in regular rotation through the winter months. Thanks Jenn!
How many ounces is a serving of this soup?
Hi Dawn, I’d guesstimate that it would be about 16 ounces.
This is a WOW! As you say it is a bit of work. The end result is absolutely fabulous. thanks, Jen
“This soup is fantastic!!!” A direct quote from my husband tonight. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!