Name: Easy Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Ingredients: 2-3 (15.5 oz) northern beans, rinsed and drained; 1 ham bone or ham hock; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 cups carrots, diced; 1 celery, diced; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low sodium; 2 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon dried parsley; 1-3 cups ham, diced; salt and black pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon dried thyme

This Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup is a fantastic way to use up any leftover ham and only takes 10 minutes of prep!

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We had a different looking Easter this year, like most of the world due to this unprecedented time. However, despite not being about to celebrate with our extended family, we definitely made the most of it.

Dan and I thought it would be fun to visit a local park and have an Easter egg hunt in the woods instead of our house.

So, the Easter bunny wrote letters to each child which contained a few clues telling them about the Easter egg hunt.

Our plan went off without a hitch with Dan “searching” in one area of the park (while hiding all the eggs), while I took the kids to look in another area of the park.

And yes, this dietitian mom included jelly beans, M&Ms and money in the eggs.

We also brought the kids’ bikes and Dan and I took turns running trails while the kids rode their bikes. Then we flew kites that the kids received in their Easter baskets.

Overall we had a blast, of course not without a bit of a mishap on the bike. Our youngest lost control coming down a steep hill.

We learned we are NOT doing off-road trails with the kids for a while after that experience. And his kite also was slightly damaged so it didn’t quite fly well compared to his siblings’ kites.

For dinner, I purchased a Dearborn ham since they were available at my local Meijer.

The smallest ham available was an 8-pound ham and with only five of us eating Easter dinner, I obviously had leftovers. And this lead me to make this delicious ham and cheese soup.

I also made a green bean casserole, twice baked potatoes and made our favorite dessert – Dirt Delight.

Now with tons of leftover ham, I decided to make this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup. It’s simple to make and it’s always a good idea to include beans in our diet whenever possible.

And if you’re looking to up your ham game, try this Ham with Ham Gravy recipe, it sounds absolutely delicious!

Dietitian’s Dish

Speaking of beans, they are full of nutrients including fiber, protein and several vitamins and minerals.

Concerned about canned beans and sodium?

You can always use dry beans, however, for convenience and time I typically use canned beans.

I always look for low-sodium beans and purchase those whenever possible and always rinse them well before using. This definitely decreases the sodium amount.

Also, you’ll notice most of my recipes call for “salt to taste” and for me that means very little is added.

If you or your family are used to a lot of salt, you can slowly decrease the amount you use. And switch to a lower-sodium salt option like I use – Morton’s Lite Salt.

Easy Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Equipment

slow cooker

Ingredients

2-3 (15.5 oz) northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 ham bone or ham hock
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, diced
1 celery, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low sodium
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1-3 cups ham, diced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Stir ingredients together.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
Remove bay leaves. Remove and discard ham bone, pulling any extra ham off bone.

Notes

If you’d like a thicker consistency, blend the soup for a few seconds using an immersion blender.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I hope you had a joyful Easter despite these crazy times of 2020!

This Easy Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.