Slow Cooker Ham Bean Soup (Printable Version)

A comforting bowl of tender ham, creamy beans, and flavorful vegetables slow-cooked to perfection.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound cooked ham, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans & Legumes

06 - 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed

→ Liquids

07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Spices & Seasonings

08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 teaspoon dried parsley
11 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Add diced ham, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and beans to the slow cooker.
02 - Pour chicken broth into the slow cooker. Add bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
03 - Cover and cook on low setting for 7 hours, or until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded together.
04 - Remove bay leaf from soup. Taste and adjust salt as needed for desired flavor.
05 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot. Accompany with crusty bread or crackers if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It practically cooks itself while you go about your day, filling your home with the most comforting aroma.
  • The ham gives you that savory depth that usually takes hours to build, but the slow cooker does it all at once.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans—the excess starch makes the broth cloudy and overly thick, which changes the whole texture.
  • Removing the bay leaf matters because forgetting it even once teaches you to always remember it, and nobody wants to bite down on a bay leaf mid-spoonful.
03 -
  • Cut your vegetables as evenly as you can manage—same size pieces cook at the same rate, which is the difference between tender vegetables and mushy ones.
  • If you have smoked ham hock instead of diced ham, it'll infuse the broth with even more flavor, but you'll need to remove the bones and shred the meat before serving.
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