15-Bean Soup with Ham (Print Version)

Slow-cooked blend of tender beans, savory vegetables, and smoky ham bone flavors in a hearty soup.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beans

01 - 1 (20 oz) bag 15-bean soup mix, rinsed and sorted

→ Meats

02 - 1 leftover ham bone with some meat attached

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 3 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids

08 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
09 - 2 cups water

→ Spices & Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - Salt to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Rinse and sort the beans, discarding any debris or broken beans.
02 - Place the beans in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add the ham bone on top of the beans.
03 - Add diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, diced tomatoes with juice, and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
04 - Pour in chicken broth and water until ingredients are covered.
05 - Sprinkle in smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper, and add the bay leaf.
06 - Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.
07 - Remove the ham bone from the slow cooker. Let it cool slightly, then shred any remaining meat and return it to the soup. Discard the bone and bay leaf.
08 - Stir well, taste, and season with salt as needed.
09 - Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • One pot, minimal hands-on time, and your house smells like a cozy restaurant all day long.
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, so leftovers are a gift to your future self.
  • Fifteen kinds of beans mean every spoonful surprises you with different textures and subtle flavor shifts.
02 -
  • Never salt the soup before the beans are fully cooked—salt hardens the bean skins and leaves you with crunchy disappointment after eight hours of waiting.
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, eight hours might actually be seven, so start checking tenderness around the six-hour mark; overcooked beans turn to mush and the broth gets starchy.
03 -
  • If your slow cooker is older or runs particularly hot, start checking the beans at six hours rather than waiting the full eight—you want tender beans, not bean paste.
  • Save the cooking liquid if you shred the meat; that golden broth is liquid gold and deserves a moment of appreciation before you return the meat to the pot.
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