15-Bean Soup Smoky Ham Bone (Printable)

A comforting slow-cooked blend of beans, vegetables, and smoky ham bone for warm, hearty meals.

# 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

# Directions:

01 - Rinse and sort the 15-bean soup mix, discarding any debris or broken beans.
02 - Place the rinsed beans in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, then position the ham bone on top of the beans.
03 - Add diced onion, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes with juice, and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
04 - Pour 8 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water into the slow cooker.
05 - Sprinkle smoked paprika, dried thyme, and black pepper over the mixture, then 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 and allow it to cool slightly. Shred any remaining meat and return it to the soup. Discard the bone and bay leaf.
08 - Stir the soup thoroughly, taste, and season with salt as needed. Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It practically makes itself while you go about your day, filling your kitchen with the kind of aroma that makes people ask what's cooking.
  • One ham bone stretches into something that feeds eight people and costs next to nothing, which feels like actual kitchen magic.
  • The slow cooker does the heavy lifting, so you're free to do literally anything else for eight hours.
02 -
  • Never salt beans at the beginning of cooking; it locks them up and they'll stay firm no matter how long they simmer—add it only at the very end when they're already tender.
  • The ham bone is not wasted bones; it's concentrated flavor that you can't get any other way, so choose one with meat still clinging to it for maximum return.
03 -
  • A 6-quart slow cooker is important here because you need room for the beans to expand without everything boiling over—I learned this the messy way once.
  • If your ham bone has a thick layer of fat on top, trim some of it off before cooking, but leave a little because that's where flavor lives.
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