15 Bean Ham Soup Recipe

One of our favorite cozy winter meals is this 15-bean ham soup recipe. People who don’t love beans usually change their minds when they try cooking them with a ham bone! This recipe has the added flavors of Cajun seasonings, tomatoes, and onions.

This is one of my favorites when I’m busy because all I need to do is throw everything in the pot and let it simmer for a few hours. Then, right before serving, take the ham bone out and debone the ham to put back into the soup.

This recipe pairs perfectly with homemade gluten-free cornbread or a herby artisan bread.

Ingredients for 15 bean ham soup

• 15 bean soup mix with the seasoning packet
• Diced tomatoes
• Chopped onion
• Chicken broth or water
• A meaty ham hock
• Optional extra diced ham or smoked sausage

The bone can be as meaty or as lean as you want it to be. I usually prefer to leave some meat on it because my family enjoys the extra ham.

I do sometimes play fast and loose with the ingredients, and from time to time, I like to add diced potatoes, rice, or things like celery, carrots, corn, garlic, etc. Honestly, there’s not much that goes well with ham and beans. The only thing to watch out for is that you’ll probably need to add more chicken broth or water as you add more ingredients. 

This is a soup recipe, which makes it very flexible. Just remember that some things, like potatoes or rice, won’t take as long as the beans cook, so remember to add ingredients accordingly.

Can this recipe be made in the crock pot or Instant Pot?

Yes, absolutely! I typically don’t use the slow cooker to cook beans since there’s a question about whether it gets hot enough to destroy the enzyme inhibitors that cause intestinal discomfort. (You can see the best way to de-gas beans here)

However, if you want to use the crockpot to make your ham and bean soup, by all means! I’d plan on slow cooking for at least six hours.

For the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, this is a great way to speed it up! I followed the same procedure as outlined below and set the cooking time to 45 minutes. After that, either turn the pot off and let it cool down naturally, or release the pressure, depending on how much time I have before I need to serve. Then, take the lid off and remove the ham bone to cool a bit so the meat can be deboned and added back to the soup.

How to make 15 Bean Ham Soup

This recipe is an incredibly easy, dump-and-go soup recipe.

1. Place leftover ham bone in a large pot (at least 4 quarts)
   
2. Add beans, diced onion, and diced tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning packet that should have come in your bean mix.
4. Cover with chicken broth or water.
   
5. Heat over medium heat until the soup begins to boil.
6. Continue at a low boil for about 90 minutes until the beans are tender.
   
7. Remove from heat, and remove ham bone from soup onto a platter to cool.
   
8. Once the bone is cool enough to handle, remove any meat that may be on the bone and add it back to the soup.
9. Stir ham in, and serve.
   
10. If your bean mix didn’t come with a seasoning packet, or if you’re using one kind of bean such as pinto beans, use 2 Tablespoons of Tony’s Cajun seasoning or your own custom mix.

FAQs

Can I use soaked beans for this bean soup recipe? Yes. For an overnight method, soak beans in water overnight, then discard any floating beans, drain, rinse thoroughly, and proceed with the recipe, reducing the amount of chicken broth by about 2 cups. 

Are there other ways to aid the digestibility of these beans? Bay leaves are often said to help aid in degassing beans, so feel free to add 2-3 leaves to the top of your pot, removing them before serving. Other options include adding lemon juice or baking soda to the beans, boiling them for ten minutes, then rinsing, and proceeding with the recipe.

Do I have to use the 15-bean soup mix? No. You can make your own mix, using your preferred combination of beans and peas or one kind. Some ideas are a variety of beans such as pinto, black beans, red beans, lentils, navy beans or white kidney beans, adding a few baby limas, garbanzo, large lima,  green or yellow split peas, great northern beans, black-eyed peas, cranberry or pink beans.

If you are making your own mix, you will also need to make your own seasoning mix. You can easily do this by using 2-3 tablespoons of Tony’s Cajun seasoning or combining chili powder, black pepper, cayenne powder, garlic powder, and salt to taste. 

How to store leftovers

This is a large batch of soup, so if you have leftovers, let them cool completely, then store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days.

Soup can also be frozen in airtight containers. I like to ladle soup into a ziplock bag and freeze it flat on a cookie sheet until completely frozen. After that, you can remove the cookie sheet and store it in the freezer for up to 90 days.

To thaw and reheat, dump, still frozen, from the bag into a pot with 1-2 cups of water or chicken broth and heat over low heat until thawed. Then, increase heat to heat through before serving.

Other recipes you may like:

• Oxtail Soup
• Italian Peasant Soup
• Creamy Chicken Meatball Soup
• How to Can Vegetable Soup
• Canning Chicken Soup

 

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