About the Recipe
Step into a world of comfort with this White Bean Soup – a delightful use of a leftover ham bone, great northern beans, and aromatic seasonings. This crockpot creation begins with a pre-soak of the beans, followed by a stove top sauté of onions, celery, and garlic. The crockpot takes center stage, where the ham bone, beans, and a medley of flavors simmer into a soul-soothing masterpiece. After 8 hours, the ham bone exits, leaving behind a rich, thickened broth. Simple, hearty, and utterly satisfying – this White Bean Soup is a bowlful of homemade happiness.
Ingredients
1 leftover cooked hambone
1 pound great northern, navy, or cannellini beans (Camellia brand preferred, if available)
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil (avocado or light olive oil)
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon thyme, fresh or dry
1 tablespoon Salt-free Tony's (or your favorite salt free Cajun/Creole seasoning)
2 bay leaves
1 leftover ham bone
2 quarts (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
Preparation
The night before:
Rinse and sort beans. Discard broken beans and debris.
Add beans to crock pot and cover with cool water, but do not turn on. Ensure the beans are completely submerged under a few inches of water.
Soak overnight.
The day of:
Drain water and rinse beans in fresh water.
Place hambone in crockpot with beans.
In a pan on the stove, heat oil and butter over medium heat until butter melts.
Once butter has melted, add onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook 8-10 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant. Celery should have some golden browning as well.
Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
Deglaze pan with about 1 cup of broth.
Pour contents of pan over beans and ham in crock pot.
Add remaining broth and seasonings.
Turn crockpot to low for at least 8 hours.
Remove ham bone, bay leaf and thyme stems (if using fresh thyme) before serving.
Use a potato masher to smash some of the beans to thicken the soup or add additional broth if the soup becomes too thick.
Pick meat from the ham bone if it did not fall off when removing from crock pot, add meat back to soup.