Bean Soup Smoked Ham Potatoes (Print-Friendly)

Hearty blend of tender beans, smoky ham, and potatoes, ideal for warming up on chilly days.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 8.8 oz smoked ham, diced

→ Beans & Legumes

02 - 14 oz cooked white beans (cannellini or navy beans), drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

08 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

→ Herbs & Spices

09 - 2 bay leaves
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - Salt, to taste

→ Fats

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Garnish

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the diced smoked ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to release its smoky flavor.
04 - Add the potatoes, beans, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and broth. Stir well to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender and flavors have melded.
06 - Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under two hours and tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • One pot means one cleanup, which feels like a small victory on busy nights.
  • The smoked ham does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you can't really mess this up.
02 -
  • Don't add the ham at the very beginning unless you want its flavor to blur into everything else—give it its moment alone in the pot first.
  • Bay leaves are stubborn about releasing flavor slowly, so don't be tempted to skip them thinking they won't matter; they're why this tastes complete.
03 -
  • Dice everything roughly the same size so it cooks evenly and the soup has a cohesive texture from bowl to bowl.
  • Taste and adjust salt only after the full hour of simmering—the flavors concentrate as liquid reduces, so early seasoning often leads to oversalting.
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