15 Bean Soup with Ham

Why You'll Love This 15 Bean and Ham Soup

• Ham Hock for Flavor - This superb soup is cooked with a ham hock to infuse the ham flavor into the entire pot. Have a ham bone? Use it instead. This way, you can use whichever is available, so there's no need to buy an expensive ham to get the bone to use for soup.
• Budget Friendly - This is a wonderfully budget-friendly recipe. Since it's loaded with ham, you can use leftover ham, ham steak, thick-sliced deli ham, Honey Baked ham, country ham, or any cooked ham you enjoy.
• Flavorful - Even though ham is one of the main ingredients, it isn't the most pronounced flavor in the soup. It's made with a flavorful mix of spices instead of using the 15-bean soup seasoning packet.
• Healthy - So this soup is not just tasty, it's good for you too! In fact, it's an extra-healthy recipe, loaded with vegetables, including carrots, celery, onions, and tomatoes.
• Variations Cooking Methods - You can make it in an Instant Pot for a quick bean soup with ham, in a slow cooker like a Crock Pot, or in a Dutch oven on the stovetop.
• No Soaking Needed - This is a no-soak 15-bean soup if you make it in an Instant Pot.
• Easy to Customize - Lots of ways to customize this mixed bean soup - see all the recipe variations below.

What 15 beans are in 15 bean soup?

If you use a bag of Hurst's HamBeens 15 bean soup mix, it has northern, pinto, large lima, yellow eye, garbanzo, baby lima, green split, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split, lentil, navy, white kidney, and black beans.

Best Beans for 15 Bean Soup

Any combination of dried beans works for this soup. And because you need 15 kinds of beans, the best and easiest thing to do is to get Hurst HamBeens 15 bean soup mix. Then you don't have to get 15 different bags of dried beans. You can find it at most grocery stores.

Equipment Needed

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker
• or Dutch Oven
• Colander
• Measuring Cups & Spoons

15 Bean Soup Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

• Olive oil
• Garlic cloves
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Salt
• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Dried thyme
• Dry sherry or dry white wine
• Ham hock - note that a smoked ham hock adds an extra smoky flavor
• 15-Bean Soup Mix - Hurst's HamBeens recommended
• Water
• Chicken stock
• Bay leaves
• Cooked ham
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Lemon juice or vinegar

How to Make 15 Bean Soup with Ham

Making 15 bean soup is easy to do and there are 3 ways you can prepare it - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker Crock Pot, or Dutch Oven Stove Top. Here are the 15 bean soup instructions for each method.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Method

1. Set the instant pot to saute and add olive oil, vegetables and seasonings.
2. Saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add the garlic into the vegetables in the last minute of cooking.
3. Add ham hock, rinsed beans, and bay leaves to the pot. Pour in chicken stock, water, and sherry.
4. Stir, secure lid and set the pressure cooker to high. Cook for 45 minutes. Once the cycle is complete, release the pressure manually. Once released, remove lid.

5. Remove the ham hock and lay leaves.
6. Pour the diced tomatoes into the bean soup.
7. Add chopped ham.
8. Finish with lemon juice. Stir, cover, and set to warm. Let simmer until additional ingredients have warmed.

Slow Cooker Crock Pot Method

1. Place all the ingredients except the cooked ham, diced tomatoes, and lemon juice into the slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 5-7 hours or until the beans are tender.
3. Remove the ham hock and add the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for another 20 minutes.

Dutch Oven Stove Top Method

1. Rinse beans and place in a large stock pot. Cover with water and let soak overnight. Rinse again and set aside.
2. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute the onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes or until soft, adding garlic in the last minute.
3. Place rinsed soaked beans, ham hock, liquid ingredients, and herbs and spices into the dutch oven with the sauteed vegetables.
4. Bring to a boil then cover and lower the temperature to a simmer. Cook for 1 ½ hours.
5. Remove the ham hock, then add chopped ham, diced tomatoes, and lemon juice. Stir and simmer for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Rinse the beans and sort through them. It's common to find small rocks or other debris.
• Never fill the Instant Pot or any pressure cooker more than half full when cooking beans.
• Adding a small amount of oil to beans when pressure cooking helps them keep their shape and will reduce froth and foam. Add at least 1 tablespoon to the pot.
• Do not add tomatoes to the initial cook time. Tomatoes will cause the beans to not become tender.

Recipe Variations

You can add of substitute the ingredients to may a myriad of different 15 bean soups. Here are some ideas:

• Cajun 15 Bean Soup - Get the Hurst HamBeens Cajun 15 bean soup mix and use the cajun seasoning packet or a cajun spice mix instead of the spices in the recipe.
• Meat - Instead of ham, use cooked bacon, ground beef, Italian sausage, kielbasa, country sausage, or smoked turkey.
• Pasta - Add your favorite short pasta or rivels.
• Vegetables - Add potatoes, cabbage, or greens including collard greens, kale, and spinach.
• Vegetarian - Omit the ham and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
• Vegan - Omit the ham, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and white grape juice instead of sherry or white wine.

What to Serve with 15 Bean Soup

• Bread - Cornbread, cornbread muffins, French bread, or rolls.
• Crackers - Butter crackers, saltines, or oyster crackers.
• Salad - A simple green salad or Caesar salad.
• Toppings - Sour cream, plain yogurt, chopped onions, shredded cheese, hot sauce, or chopped fresh herbs.

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat

To Store: Place the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To Freeze: Place the soup in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

To Reheat: You can warm up the soup in a pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring often. You can also microwave the soup on HIGH power for 1 minute followed by 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until warmed through.

More Soup Recipes

• Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Classic Hamburger Soup
• Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup

Find lots of healthy and easy soup recipes here on 2CM!