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15 bean soup simmered in a clay pot is the perfect solution for dinner on a busy day! This comforting and nutritious soup is plentiful and filling, but without being heavy. The slow cooker of ham and bean soup is just what your body craves on a cold day, too. It’s a healthy meatless meal, but even more delicious when you include ham or ham hock for extra protein!

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Busy day? No problem! Fill your slow cooker with a mix of fiber-filled beans and a leftover ham hock or some ham. Then walk away and go about your business!

A few hours later, you’ll have a batch of slow-cooker ham and bean soup ready to serve!

This recipe is a fantastic way to use leftover holiday ham or a ham hock. So gather your ingredients and let your slow cooker do all the work!

Reasons to Love 15 Crock Pot Style Bean Soup

1. Set it and forget about eating! Unlike cooking on a stove or instant cooker, slow cooker recipes are easy to make, and it’s completely safe to leave a slow cooker unattended! Making delicious and nutritious 15-bean pot-style soup means you can step back and handle more important things while cooking your dinner.

1. Great way to use leftovers. If you have leftover Christmas ham or a ham bone hidden in the freezer, slow-cooked ham bean soup is the perfect use for it!

1. Economical and adaptable recipe. This recipe allows you to add your favorite vegetables (or whatever you have on hand) to give the soup extra flavor and make it more filling. You can also make a vegetarian bean soup by skipping the ham and including extra vegetables instead.

LOVE LEGUMES? Be sure to check out our recipes for instant calico beans and lentil soup.

Ingredient and substitution notes

15 Bean Soup Mix

• There are several different mixes of dried bean soupavailable. You can usually find them in the grocery store aisle near the other dried legumes. We like the variety of beans in the Hurst Hambeens blend. If you prefer another brand, feel free to use it.
• Purewater will work well, but chicken, beef, or vegetable broth will add extra flavor.

Ham bone or ham

• hockThis is an optional ingredient. It’s also a great way to use any leftover Christmas ham!
• Canned tomatoes Diced or crushed tomatoes work well. We have not tried this recipe with fresh tomatoes.

Cooking tools needed

• Strainer – for rinsing

beans

• Clay pot or slow cooker

Do you have to soak the

beans before cooking?

Dried Hurst beans don’t need to be soaked before cooking unless you want to remove some of the natural enzymes in them that cause gas. If so, cover the dried beans with cold water and let them soak for 4 hours. If you’d rather not soak them, the slow cooker will do all the work for you! All you have to do is add the ingredients, light the slow cooker and let it cook!

Tips for a perfect 15-bean soup with ham

1. Be sure to sort, rinse and drain the beans

. Open the

15 package of bean soup

and spread the contents in a single layer on a sheet tray. Look for and choose any small pebbles or other debris that may be on the package with the beans. Then, transfer the mixture to a strainer and place it in your sink. Run cold tap water over the beans to rinse off dirt.

1. Check the beans to see if they are cooked

.

Set the slow cooker to high for 5-7 hours. After 5 hours of cooking time, you need to check if the beans are tender. If not, continue cooking the soup in the Low setting.

1. Don’t forget to remove the ham bone or hock!

After the beans are tender, remove the bones from the soup. Then, place the ham and bean soup in bowls and garnish with fresh herbs or toppings of your choice.

15 Bean Soup Recipe

Variations

• Add other vegetables like carrots, celery, and potatoes to the soup

.

• Add baked chicken loins or other cooked meat for extra protein

.

• Replace the ham with smoked sausage for a smoky flavor.
• For a 15-bean vegetarian soup, skip the ham and add extra vegetables, such as diced peppers, pumpkin, or mushrooms.
• Add kale, spinach, or other leafy greens to add nutrients.

What to serve with

Crock Pot 15 Bean Soup

This meal is perfect on its own, but it can also be served with your favorite side dishes

.

You can serve it over brown rice, or include a fresh salad and crusty bread on the side. You can also enjoy this thick bean soup abundant in taco shells, burritos, wraps or as a salsa with chips.

Other SUPER SOUPS for dinnerTry our Great Northern Bean Soup and Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup recipes!

Refrigerator storage and freezing

:

Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

Freezer: It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before transferring it to containers or freezer bags and freezing it.

Reheat the slow cooktop of ham and bean soup: Place the soup in a pot and reheat it on the stove until heated.

Microwave: Transfer to a microwave-safe container and reheat in the microwave according to your microwave instructions

. Slow cooker

: Place the Hurst bean soup

back in a clay pot and set to low power. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very hot.