Recipes and Cooking Ham and Bean Soup 3.5 (13) 3 Reviews To make this Ham and Bean Soup recipe even quicker, substitute cubed cooked ham for the ham hocks and canned beans for the dry beans. Either method you choose, you'll be left with an easy Ham and Bean Soup that's the perfect partner for a slice of cornbread. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on June 14, 2011 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Prep Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Stand Time: 1 hrs Total Time: 4 hrs Servings: 5 Yield: 8 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 cup dry navy beans 1 - 1 pound meaty smoked pork hocks or one 1- to 1 12-pounds meaty ham bone 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1 ½ cup sliced celery (3 stalks) 1 ½ cup chopped onion (3 medium) ¾ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed ½ - ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 bay leaf Salt black pepper Directions Rinse beans. In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine beans and 4 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (Or, place beans in water in Dutch oven. Cover and let soak in a cool place for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.) Drain and rinse beans; set aside. In the same Dutch oven brown pork hocks on all sides in hot butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion to Dutch oven. Cook and stir until softened. Stir in beans, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and 4 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Remove pork hocks. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bones; coarsely chop meat. Discard bones and bay leaf. Slightly mash beans in saucepan. Stir in chopped meat; heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Easy Ham and Bean Soup: Prepare as above, except omit dry navy beans,ham hocks, and water. Cook onion and celery in butter as directed in Step 2. Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup cubed cooked ham (5 ounces), and two 15-ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained, along with thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf. Omit salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 5 servings (7 cups).Per 1 1/3 cups: 315 cal., 6 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 25 mg chol., 2,023 mg sodium, 46 g carbo., 11 g dietary fiber, 21 g protein. Daily Values: 6% vit. A, 10% vit. C, 12% calcium, 22% iron. Exchanges: 1/2 Vegetable, 3 Starch, 1 1/2 Lean Meat Ham and Vegetable Bean Soup: Prepare as above, except after slightly mashing beans, stir in 2 cups sliced carrot and 2 cups sliced parsnip or chopped, peeled rutabaga. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chopped meat; heat through. Makes 5 servings (8 cups).Per 1 1/2 cups: 277 cal., 5 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 21 mg chol., 531 mg sodium, 45 g carbo., 15 g dietary fiber, 16 g protein. Daily Values: 111% vit. A, 17% vit. C, 12% calcium, 16% iron. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Vegetable, 2 Starch, 1 Lean Meat Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 217 Calories 4g Fat 30g Carbs 15g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 5 Calories 217 % Daily Value * Total Fat 4g 5% Saturated Fat 2g 10% Cholesterol 21mg 7% Sodium 492mg 21% Total Carbohydrate 30g 11% Total Sugars 4g Protein 15g Vitamin C 4.1mg 21% Calcium 80.8mg 6% Iron 2.5mg 14% Potassium 486mg 10% Folate, total 84.7mcg Vitamin B-6 0.2mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.