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White Bean and Ham Soup

a bowl of white bean and ham soup made with olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic & spices topped with pepper & parsley
  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  2 hrs 30 min

Ingredients

  • ¾ pound dried cannellini beans
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch half-moons
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 large cooked ham hock or 1 cup diced cooked ham (see Note)
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ⅓ cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley, plus more for serving

Method

  1. Place the beans in a large bowl, cover with 3 inches of water and soak for 8 hours and up to overnight. Drain and rinse well.
  2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is glistening, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, smoked paprika, ham hock, 4 cups of water and 4 cups of the chicken stock.
  3. Add the drained beans to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture begins to foam, about 30 minutes. Skim the foam off the top, then stir in the salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, adding more water as needed, about 1½ hours.
  4. Transfer the ham hock to a cutting board or plate. Pull the ham off the bone and cut into bite sized pieces (you should have 1-2 cups). Return the ham to the pot before discarding the bone. Add the remaining chicken stock and parsley. Simmer until the stock is warmed through, about 10 minutes.
  5. Serve topped with freshly cracked black pepper and parsley.

Notes

If using a ham hock that doesn't have a lot of meat on it, plan to use 1 cup of diced cooked ham as a substitute. A large ham hock will typically have 1-2 cups of ham on it, that will be shredded and returned to the soup.