Did you just make a baked ham for dinner and looking for a delicious way to use up that meaty ham bone? This 15 Bean & Ham soup is the recipe for you! It’s super simple to make, it is a great way to use up that meaty bone, and it freezes well so you can pull it for a satisfying meal anytime! Did I mention how inexpensive it is to make? If you just made a ham and are using the leftover bone, this meal literally costs a few dollars to make the entire pot of soup and makes 16 servings! Who can beat that?
For those who have never made 15 bean soup, you can buy the dried bean mix at almost any grocery store. It’s found with all the other dried beans and it’s an amazing mix of beans that are great in soup. This is also a great way to try out all sorts of beans that you might not have ever tasted! This recipe is also versatile, so if you have leftover veggies hanging around this might be the place to use them! I’ve added jalapenos, bell peppers, and tomatoes to this soup and they have all been good, but this simple version will always be my favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 20 oz 15 bean soup mix
- 1 ham bone
- 2 cups reserved ham drippings see notes below
- 8 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse beans and inspect for pebbles/dirt. Discard the seasoning packet that came with the bean mix.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper for 4-6 minutes on medium high heat. When the onions are translucent and the garlic is cooked through, you can remaining ingredients.
- Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, then cover and shut off heat. Let rest for 1 hour as this will soften the beans since they weren't soaked overnight.
- After an hour turn heat on the covered soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer soup for 1 hour, stirring every once in a while. After an hour remove ham bone and let cool until you can handle it without getting burned. Remove all the meat off the bone and shred, adding it back to the soup. Discard ham bone. While you are working with the ham bone, the soup should continue to simmer for an additional 30-45 minutes or until beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
