火腿白豆汤
A big, old-fashioned pot of ham and bean soup where dried great northern beans simmer with a meaty ham bone until they turn creamy and the broth turns silky and smoky. Simmering the bone right in the pot pulls collagen and salt-cured flavor into every spoonful, and mashing a cupful of beans at the end thickens the soup naturally without any flour or cream.
Soak 450 g (1 lb) dried great northern beans overnight (or quick-soak: boil 2 minutes, rest 1 hour, drain). In a large Dutch oven, soften diced onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil, bloom garlic, thyme, and smoked paprika, then add the drained beans, a meaty ham bone or smoked hocks, 1.4 L (6 cups) low-sodium chicken broth, 480 ml (2 cups) water, and 2 bay leaves. Simmer gently, partly covered, 75–90 minutes until the beans are fully creamy, then pull the bone, shred the meat, mash about a cup of beans against the pot to thicken, and return the shredded meat along with 300 g (2 cups) diced ham. Simmer 15 minutes more, stir in a splash of cider vinegar and parsley, salt only at the very end, and rest 15 minutes before serving.
- Wait to add salt until the end — the ham bone and diced ham season the broth as they simmer, and beans cook fine without early salting.
- Keep the pot at a lazy simmer, not a boil; hard boiling blows the beans apart before their centers turn creamy.
- Mash a cupful of the cooked beans right against the side of the pot — it thickens the broth to a velvety texture with zero flour.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, 5.5–7 liter (6–7 quart)
- Colander for rinsing and draining the beans
- Cutting board and chef's knife
- Tongs for lifting the ham bone
- Potato masher or sturdy wooden spoon
- Ladle
食材
Soup
- 450 g dried great northern beans, navy or cannellini beans work too; pick over for pebbles and rinse
- 700–900 g meaty ham bone or smoked ham hocks, a leftover spiral ham bone with meat attached is ideal
- 300 g diced cooked ham, cut in 1 cm / 1/2-inch pieces
- 30 ml olive oil
- large yellow onion, diced
- medium carrots, diced
- celery stalks, diced
- garlic cloves, minced
- 1.4 L low-sodium chicken broth, check the label if you need certified gluten-free
- 480 ml water
- bay leaves
- 1 g dried thyme
- 1 g smoked paprika
- 1 g freshly ground black pepper
To finish
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar, brightens the rich broth; lemon juice works too
- 8 g chopped fresh parsley
- fine sea salt, add only after tasting — the ham may season the pot fully
步骤
- 步骤01
Pick over the beans for pebbles, rinse, and cover with 8 cm (3 inches) of cold water. Soak overnight (8–12 hours) at room temperature. Short on time? Quick-soak instead: cover with water, boil 2 minutes, cover the pot, rest 1 hour off the heat. Either way, drain and rinse before cooking.
- 步骤02
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened at the edges, about 8 minutes.
- 步骤03
Stir in the garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, and remaining black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the broth and water, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- 步骤04
Add the drained beans, ham bone (or hocks), and bay leaves. Bring just to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer — small, lazy bubbles. Partially cover and simmer, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the beans are completely tender and creamy in the center, 75–90 minutes. Skim any foam in the first 15 minutes.
- 步骤05
Lift the ham bone out with tongs and set it on a cutting board until cool enough to handle, leaving the soup at a bare simmer. Pull off every scrap of meat, discard the bone, skin, and fat, and chop or shred the meat into bite-size pieces.
- 步骤06
Discard the bay leaves. Mash about 250 ml (1 cup) of the beans against the side of the pot with a potato masher or the back of a spoon until the broth looks creamy. Return the shredded meat to the pot along with the diced ham and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes to marry the flavors.
- 步骤07
Turn off the heat and stir in the cider vinegar and parsley. Taste, then add salt only if it needs it — with a salty bone it often doesn't. Rest, uncovered, 15 minutes; the soup thickens noticeably and the flavors settle. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Make ahead
Two easy head starts: soak the beans and dice all the vegetables the night before (store the vegetables covered in the fridge), or make the entire soup a day ahead — it genuinely tastes better after an overnight rest as the smoky ham flavor deepens. Reheat over medium-low, thinning with broth as needed.
Storage
Cool completely, then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The beans keep drinking up broth, so the soup will be much thicker the next day — loosen it with a splash of broth or water when reheating gently on the stovetop. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
Slow cooker
Skip the sauté if you like: combine the soaked beans, raw vegetables, garlic, seasonings, ham bone, broth, and water in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on LOW 7–8 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours until the beans are creamy, then shred the meat, mash some beans, stir in the diced ham and vinegar, and cook 20 minutes more.
Smoky vegetarian white bean soup
Leave out the ham bone and diced ham, use vegetable broth, and build the smoke another way: increase smoked paprika to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, and stir 1 tablespoon of white miso into the finished pot for savory depth. A drizzle of good olive oil in each bowl replaces the richness.
15-bean and greens
Swap the great northern beans for a 15-bean mix (discard any flavor packet) and simmer as written — the mixed beans give a heartier, stew-like texture. Stir in 3 big handfuls of chopped kale or collard greens during the final 15 minutes.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
常见问题
Can I make ham and bean soup with canned beans instead of dried?
Yes. Use four 425 g (15 oz) cans of great northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed, and cut the broth back to 1.2 L (5 cups). Simmer the ham bone in the broth with the vegetables for 45 minutes first so it still flavors the pot, then add the canned beans for the last 20 minutes so they don't fall apart. The texture is slightly less creamy than the dried-bean version, but it saves the soak.
What if I don't have a ham bone?
Smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey legs are the easiest swap and are sold at most supermarkets — use 700–900 g (1 1/2 to 2 lb) and cook exactly as written. In a pinch, skip the bone entirely, increase the diced ham to 450 g (3 cups), and add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika; the broth will be lighter-bodied but still tasty.
Why are my beans still hard after 90 minutes?
Usually one of three things: the beans were old (dried beans past a year or two take much longer), the simmer was too weak, or acid was added too early. That's why the vinegar goes in at the very end of this ham and bean soup — acid stiffens bean skins. Just keep simmering and check every 15 minutes; old beans can need an extra 30–45 minutes. Hard water can slow things down too; a small pinch of baking soda helps.
My soup turned out too salty. How do I fix it?
Ham bones vary a lot in saltiness, which is why this recipe uses low-sodium broth, plain water, and no added salt until the end. If it still went too far, stir in 250–500 ml (1–2 cups) of water and a peeled, halved potato, and simmer 15 minutes — the dilution does the real work. A little extra vinegar also makes salt read less harsh.
Do I really have to soak the beans overnight?
No, but it helps. Soaked beans cook 30–45 minutes faster and more evenly, which matters in a big pot of ham and bean soup where you want every bean creamy at the same time. If you skip the soak entirely, plan on 2 to 2 1/2 hours of simmering and add a cup of extra water partway through as the beans absorb liquid.
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