Slow Cooker Ham Bean Soup (Printable Version)

A comforting slow-cooked soup with tender ham, creamy beans, carrots, and celery.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound cooked ham, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans and Legumes

06 - 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed

→ Liquids

07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

→ Spices and Seasonings

08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 teaspoon dried parsley
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 - Salt to taste

# Steps:

01 - Add diced ham, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and beans to slow cooker
02 - Pour chicken broth into slow cooker and add bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients
03 - Cover and cook on low setting for 7 hours until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded together
04 - Remove bay leaf from soup. Taste and adjust salt as needed for desired seasoning level
05 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot with crusty bread or crackers if desired

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It actually tastes better the longer it sits in the slow cooker, so you can truly set it and forget it without guilt.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup and maximum comfort—especially important on days when you'd rather be doing literally anything else.
  • The vegetables soften into the broth so beautifully that even people who claim to hate celery end up slurping it down.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans—the starch will cloud your soup and make it taste slightly metallic instead of bright and clean.
  • If you're tempted to add salt early, resist; it intensifies during slow cooking and what seems perfectly seasoned at 2 hours will taste oversalted by hour 7.
  • A bay leaf looks innocent but can impart a sharp bitterness if it breaks apart, so always fish it out and discard it whole before serving.
03 -
  • If you don't have a slow cooker, you can simmer everything in a heavy Dutch oven on the stovetop for about 2 hours on medium-low, though the flavors won't deepen quite the same way.
  • The reason this soup tastes restaurant-quality despite being so simple is that nothing gets rushed—long, gentle heat coaxes flavors out rather than blasting them.
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