Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup is a pork recipe built around dry Great Northern beans, olive oil and diced carrots. Plan on 8 servings and about 1105 minutes.

• Yield 8 servings
• Ready in 1105 minutes
• Prep 25 minutes
• Cook 600 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry Great Northern beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 leftover ham bone
• Additional chopped ham, optional

Instructions

1. Add beans to slow cooker. Add room temperature water to cover by 2 inches. Let the beans soak overnight (8 to 12 hours).
2. Drain the beans and return to the slow cooker.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.
4. Add bay leaves and chicken broth and give the mixture a stir.
5. Nestle the ham bone into the soup. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours until the beans are soft. If you're planning to add additional ham (really only necessary if the ham bone used wasn't super meaty), add it a couple hours before cooking time ends.
6. Remove ham bone to a plate or dish (and any large ham pieces that may have fallen off during cooking). Shred ham into small pieces and return to the slow cooker.
7. If desired, use a potato masher to lightly mash the beans in the soup for a creamier consistency.
8. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve. This soup gets thicker the longer it rests. The leftovers are super thick and creamy (in a deliciously good way).

Loosen a leftover bowl with a splash of water when you reheat it.