Ham Great Northern Bean (Printable Version)

Tender Great Northern beans and savory ham combine for a warm, hearty main dish perfect for cool weather.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beans & Legumes

01 - 1 pound dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and sorted

→ Meats

02 - 1 meaty ham bone or 2 cups diced cooked ham

→ Vegetables

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

→ Liquids

07 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
08 - 2 cups water

→ Herbs & Spices

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

# Directions:

01 - Rinse and sort the dried Great Northern beans to remove any debris. While soaking is optional for slow cooker preparation, overnight soaking will yield softer beans and reduce overall cooking time.
02 - Combine beans, ham bone or diced ham, chopped onion, diced carrots, diced celery, and minced garlic in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
03 - Pour chicken broth and water into the slow cooker. Add bay leaves, dried thyme, and ground black pepper. Stir gently to distribute ingredients evenly.
04 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 8 hours until beans are tender and flavors have melded together.
05 - Remove the ham bone from the soup. Shred any remaining meat from the bone and return it to the pot. Discard the bone and bay leaves.
06 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt as needed, remembering that ham can contribute significant saltiness to the broth.
07 - Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot. Optionally garnish with fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does almost all the work while you go about your day, and somehow the flavors taste like you've been stirring for hours.
  • Great Northern beans become so tender and creamy they practically melt on your tongue without turning mushy.
  • One ham bone or bit of ham seasons the entire pot so thoroughly that every spoonful tastes rich and savory, never watery.
02 -
  • Don't oversalt at the beginning—wait until the end to taste and adjust, because the broth and ham will concentrate as the soup cooks down and steals become more pronounced.
  • If you find the soup too thin once the beans are done, mash a handful of beans against the side of the slow cooker with the back of a spoon to release their starch and create natural creaminess without any cream.
03 -
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, check the beans around the 7-hour mark—some cookers are aggressive and you want tender beans, not blown-out mush.
  • Save your ham bones in the freezer anytime you have them; they're liquid gold for soup and broth and cost you nothing since you'd throw them away anyway.
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