One of my favorite slow cooker soup recipes: Smoked Ham Soup with White Beans
Smoked Ham Soup with White Beans
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour and 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Two 14.5-ounce cans white beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- ham hock, optional
- 2 cups chopped smoked ham
- One 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
Directions:
- Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add broth, water, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaves. If you happen to have a ham hock available to you, throw that in too. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for about an hour.
- Add beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Remove ham hock (if using).
- Place 1 cup of bean mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return pureed bean mixture to the pan, add chopped ham and tomatoes and stir until blended. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until ham is heated through, and then serve.
Tips:
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of chicken broth, beans and ham that are known to be GF.
Nutrition:
- Nutritional Information per serving (Serving size: 1/8th of the recipe) Calories: 235, Fat: 4.21g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Sodium: 985g, Fiber: 6.67g, Protein: 18.72g, Cholesterol: 19.25mg, Carbohydrates: 31.34g
- Weight Watchers POINTS: SmartPoints: 6, Points Plus: 6, Old Points Program: 6
SOURCE: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Cooking Light)
I made this as printed except I added 2 carrots and 2 celery with the onions. I used the Easter ham bone–not smoked but still tasty. I found it easier to use an immersion blender right in the soup pot instead of dirtying the food processor. Just remove the bay leaves and thyme stems first. (no need to pick off the thyme leaves before cooking–the leaves just fall off the stems into the soup)
Thank you so much! I am a Food Gawker addict and came across your recipe. I’ve had one can of white beans in my pantry for a couple of months now. And since it’s just me I didn’t need two cans. I ended up using smoked neck bones (which I had never cooked before). I also had some zucchini that I needed to use pretty quick. This dish didn’t need any salt at all. I added some fresh rosemary & lemon thyme from my container herb garden. This was sooooo full of flavor I just sat in silence and mentally appreciated every bite. Can’t wait to share with my coworker tomorrow.
Your additions sound wonderful!
This soup looks great! I have been so into ham lately. It’s got so much lean protein with loads of flavor. I buy the Trader Joe’s nitrate free sliced Black Forest Ham. It would be yummy here, but the cubes look better.
We are in SoCal too…..Orange County. Where r you guys??
Healthy, fast and easy; sounds great to me!
I’m like you, since we live in this amazing Southern California weather, once the temperatures dip below 60, I’m in the mood to make soup. I’ve got two on the menu for this week.
I’m bookmarking this and will try it soon!
It is cold here in NY! I am sure my family will love this soup. Thanks for taking the time to post it.