Ham Bone Bean Soup Smoky (Printable)

Flavorful bean stew with ham bone and smoky paprika, rich and hearty for cozy meals.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 leftover ham bone with meat attached
02 - 1 cup diced cooked ham, optional

→ Beans & Legumes

03 - 2 cups dried navy beans, rinsed and soaked overnight

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 carrots, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Seasonings

09 - 1.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
10 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - Salt to taste

→ Liquids

14 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
15 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# How-To:

01 - Drain and rinse the soaked beans and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add ham bone, soaked beans, bay leaf, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender.
05 - Remove ham bone from pot and let cool slightly. Pick off any meat and return to soup. Discard bone and bay leaf.
06 - If desired, add diced cooked ham for extra protein. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and additional pepper as needed.
07 - Serve hot, optionally garnished with fresh parsley or a drizzle of olive oil.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • It transforms a throwaway ham bone into something so deeply satisfying that guests will assume you spent hours on it, when really you just let the stove do the work.
  • The beans soften into clouds while soaking up every drop of smoky, savory broth—no cream needed, just honest flavor.
  • This is one of those rare soups that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for batch cooking when you want tomorrow's dinner solved today.
02 -
  • Never skip soaking your dried beans overnight—I learned this the hard way when I tried a shortcut with quick-soaked beans and ended up with some tough and some mushy in the same pot, which was basically soup sabotage.
  • The smoked paprika is not optional flavor, it's the entire reason this soup tastes like something special, so resist the urge to use what you have in the cabinet and grab the real thing.
03 -
  • Taste your soup before you serve it—salt doesn't spread evenly as things cook, so you might need more than you think, and that final seasoning adjustment is what separates good from unforgettable.
  • If you don't have smoked paprika, don't reach for regular paprika as a substitute; instead, use a pinch of smoked salt or liquid smoke mixed with regular paprika, because the smoke is doing the heavy lifting here.
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