Ham Bone Soup

There's so much to love about our old fashioned Ham Bone Soup recipe loaded with potatoes, beans, ham, and vegetables in a delicious broth. It can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove.

How to make Ham Bone Soup:

Slow Cooker Method (Recommended):

Make Broth: In a slow cooker, add ham bone, water, peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic. Put heat on LOW and cook for 5-7 hours (or overnight), or HIGH for 3.5 hours.

Cook Bacon and Veggies: Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove to a plate and sauté onion, celery, zucchini, carrots, and potato in the same pan.

Combine: Remove ham bone from slow cooker and remove any meat from it. Add sautéed vegetables, cooked bacon, and the rest of the ingredients to the broth in the slow cooker. Taste, adding more spices if needed, then cook on LOW for 2 more hours. Serve ham and bean soup recipe in a bowl with a homemade garlic roll.

Stovetop Method: Add ham bone, water, peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic to a heavy stock pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp then remove to a plate. Add veggies to skillet; onion, celery, zucchini, carrots, and potato and sauté. Remove ham bone from pot, and cut any meat off of it. Add ham (including any from the bone), sautéed vegetables, cooked bacon, and the remaining ingredients to soup pot. Taste and add any more seasonings as needed. Cook until potatoes are tender. Serve in bowls with a homemade roll on the side.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The broth can be made several days advance, stored airtight container in the fridge. I like to chop all vegetables beforehand and keep them in the fridge until it's time to make the soup.

To Freeze: The broth,ham bone and ham meat can be kept in the freezer for several months. The soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then rewarm on the stove or in the slow cooker on LOW until heated.

More Soup Recipes:

• Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Hungarian Goulash
• Clam Chowder
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Spanish Lentil Stew
• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Creamy Zuppa Toscana

Recipe

4.96 from 141 votes

Ham Bone Soup

Our old fashioned Ham Bone Soup recipe is loaded with potatoes, beans, ham, and vegetables in a delicious broth, made in the crockpot or stovetop.

Print Pin Review

Author Lauren Allen

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 256

Cost $20

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 10 hours hrs

Total 10 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• Knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Broth:

• ▢ 1 leftover ham bone
• ▢ 7 cups water (1.5L)
• ▢ 20 whole peppercorns
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic , minced

Soup:

• ▢ 5-6 slices bacon
• ▢ 1 small onion , diced
• ▢ 2 ribs celery , chopped
• ▢ 1 medium zucchini , chopped
• ▢ 2 carrots , peeled and diced
• ▢ 1 russet potato , peeled and diced
• ▢ 2 cans great northern beans , rinsed and drained
• ▢ 1-2 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon Dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• ▢ salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups leftover diced ham (225g)

Instructions

 

Slow Cooker (see notes for stovetop option):

• Place the ham bone, water, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic in slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours (or overnight) or HIGH for 3.5 hours.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove to plate. Remove some of the grease from the pan, then add chopped onion, celery, zucchini, carrots, and potato and sauté for a few minutes.
• Remove ham bone and remove any meat from it. Add ham, sautéed veggies, bacon, and remaining ingredients to broth in the slow cooker. Taste and add seasonings, as needed. Cook on LOW for 2 more hours, or until potatoes are tender.

Notes

Yield: About 9 cups soup. Serving Size: 1 ½ cups. 

Stovetop Method: Add ham bone, water, peppercorns, bay leaves, and garlic to a heavy stock pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp then remove to a plate. Add veggies to skillet; onion, celery, zucchini, carrots, and potato and sauté. Remove ham bone from pot, and cut any meat off of it. Add ham (including any from the bone), sautéed vegetables, cooked bacon, and the remaining ingredients to soup pot. Taste and add any more seasonings as needed. Cook until potatoes are tender.

Make Ahead Instructions: The broth can be made several days advance, stored airtight container in the fridge. I like to chop all vegetables beforehand and keep them in the fridge until it's time to make the soup.

Freezing Instructions: The broth, ham bone and ham meat can be kept in the freezer for several months. The soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then rewarm on the stove or in the slow cooker on LOW until heated.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 18gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 440mgPotassium: 898mgFiber: 9gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3538IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 3mg

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I originally shared this recipe February 2018. Updated April 2021 and March 2025.

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