🫘🍲 White bean and ham hock soup
White bean and ham hock soup is a hearty, slow-simmered soup made with creamy beans and smoky ham hock. It’s rich, comforting, and develops deep flavor as it cooks.
🧾 Ingredients
- 1–2 smoked ham hocks
- 2 cups dried white beans (navy or cannellini)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped)
- 3–4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6–8 cups water or chicken stock
- 1–2 bay leaves
- Salt & black pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
🌿 Optional seasoning
- Thyme or rosemary
- Smoked paprika
- Chili flakes (light heat)
👩🍳 Method
1. Prep beans
- Soak dried beans overnight (or use quick-soak method).
- Drain before cooking.
2. Sear aromatics
- Heat oil in a large pot.
- Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until soft.
- Add garlic and cook briefly.
3. Add ham hock & beans
- Add ham hock, beans, bay leaves, and seasoning.
- Pour in water or stock.
4. Simmer slowly
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer 1.5–3 hours until beans are soft and ham is tender.
5. Finish soup
- Remove ham hock, shred meat, and return it to the pot.
- Adjust salt and pepper.
- Simmer uncovered if you want a thicker consistency.
🍽️ Serving ideas
- With crusty bread 🍞
- With rice 🍚
- With cornbread 🌽
💡 Tips
- Ham hock gives natural smoky flavor—don’t skip it if possible
- Soup thickens as it sits
- For extra creaminess, mash some beans in the pot
⚡ Quick 3-step version
- Soak beans
- Simmer with ham hock
- Shred meat and serve
If you want, I can also show you a slow cooker version, a spicy Cajun white bean soup, or a vegetarian smoky bean soup alternative.
