by Holly
Ham and northern beans are delicious and comforting whether you are living on a budget or not! Great Northern Beans are mixed with veggies, ham and seasoning and simmered until tender and full of flavor.
Nothing could be more hearty and heart-warming more than this economical entrée.
What are Great Northern Beans?
Sometimes called ‘common beans’ great northern beans have a mild flavor and are a popular addition to casseroles, soups, and stews. Since their flavor is delicate, they’re easily complemented by any kind of meat, but especially the smoky salty flavor of ham!
Navy Beans vs Great Northern Beans
What is the difference between navy bean and great northern beans? They’re not too different, both are a similar shape (and flavor), but great northern beans are a little bit bigger than navy beans. That being said, either bean can be substituted for the other in a recipe.
How to Soak Beans
Rinse beans in a colander and pick out any debris like small stones or twigs. Place in a large pot and cover with enough water to cover the beans plus two inches. Cover and let soak overnight. It’s that easy!
For an even quicker soak, place beans in a stockpot, cover with water plus two inches and bring to a rolling boil about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand an hour.
How to Cook Great Northern Beans
This easy soup recipe is ready in 1, 2, 3!
- First, sauté diced onion in oil until it’s soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Combine beans and the remaining ingredients.
- Bring everything to a boil and then simmer on low until the beans are tender.
To Serve: Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
To cook great northern beans in a crockpot, reduce the liquid a bit, soak the beans overnight and then cook on slow for 8 hours.
Tips for Cooking with Beans
- Soak properly: Keep the beans underwater while they are soaking so they can cook uniformly.
- Rinse and Sort: Be sure to rinse well and sort the beans looking for debris and/or little pebbles.
- Simmer: Once the beans start cooking, keep them at a gentle simmer so they don’t overcook and burst.
- Acidid Ingredients: Always add the salt and other acidic ingredients to the end of the cooking process because salt can sometimes interfere with the rehydration process.
Beans
- Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup – quick & delicious
- 15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili – easy weeknight meal!
- Ham and Bean Soup {Crock Pot Version} – raeder favorite
- The Best Chili Recipe – hearty yet simple soup
- Slow Cooker Turkey Soup (Cajun Bean) – made from scratch
Great Northern Beans and Ham
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound Great Northern Beans dry
- 1 ham hock or 1 lb smoked ham
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley optional
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Instructions
- Rinse beans in a large pot and remove any debris. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Let sit overnight. Drain well.
- Cook onion in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Combine beans, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, ham hock, and seasonings in a pot. Add 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 ½ to 2 hours or until beans are tender.
- Discard bay leaf, taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Recipe Notes
Place in a saucepan and add enough water to cover at least 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 1 hour. To Cook in Slow Cooker
Reduce liquid (water and broth) to 6 cups. Soak beans as directed and add all ingredients to a 6qt slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Ham hocks are very salty, do they not also interfere with the rehydration process?
Hi Shana, we found our ham hock was okay to add while cooking the beans.
I don’t know what I may have done wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. There was no flavor. I used homemade chicken broth as well. There was not enough carrots and celery. Also the ham hock I got did not taste the greatest. Maybe because it wasn’t smoked? Ugh.
Sorry to hear that, Annie! We would love to hear how you adjusted the recipe to your preferences. Smoked ham hock does add some additional flavor but this recipe should still turn out with a standard ham hock.
Great recipe! I doubled up on the smoked ham hock. The smell with the bay leaf had the whole house smelling like it’s dinner time.
Loved it! Added Italian seasoning because I didn’t have Rosemary and a cube of chicken bullion to add extra flavor. Added 5 cloves of minced fresh garlic also.
Good food
I’m confused with the direction for the slow cooker, you say to decrease the water to 6 cups, the original recipe calls for 4, did you mean to say increase to 6 cups? Looking forward to making this yummy recipe!
That is to reduce the liquid in the recipe to 6 cups (there are 4 cups of broth and 4 cups of water). Thanks for noticing Cheryl! Enjoy!
These were great. We had all the ingredients on hand. Our pantry is well stocked with dried beans, as we do enjoy them. We can make a killer Cuban black bean, pinto beans, black eyed peas, etc. but I had a bag of northern beans, so, it was time. I only left out the sugar.
Will be getting more next grocery trip.
The instructions don’t say anything about the ham hock. I assume it’s boiled with the soup but I figured I should point it out. Thanks for the recipe :) love your site!
Thank you Lisa!!
Hello. I’m eager to make this recipe, but how would convert this to an instant pot recipe? Thank you
Hi Nikki, We have a very similar recipe that is made for the instant pot! Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup