This hearty and delicious, 16 bean soup with ham is budget friendly and loaded vegetables and fiber.
16 Bean Soup with Ham and Kale
Winter has finally arrived, and there’s nothing quite like a pot of soup simmering all day to warm you up. This a wonderful 16-bean soup to make any time you have leftover ham from the Holidays. More recipes I love making any time I have leftover ham are this hearty, Leftover Ham Bone Soup with Potatoes and Cabbage, and the popular Crustless Ham and Cheese Quiche.
This is the kind of soup I like to cook on a Sunday, when I am home with nowhere to go. This makes a lot of soup, perfect for meal prep. One of my favorite meal prep strategies is to cook a meal big enough for two nights or more, so you can have dinner and freeze the rest for the future. This will last in the freezer up to 3 months in an airtight container. You can refrigerate this up to 4 days.
Ingredients
(see recipe card below for full recipe)
- Beans: one pound bag of 16-bean soup mix, discard flavor packet if it comes with it. This is usually sold in a bag by brands like Goya with a mix of large lima beans, baby lima beans, great northern beans, small white beans, red kidney beans, navy beans, pink beans, pinto beans, small red beans, green split peas, and yellow split peas.
- Vegetables: Kale, onions, carrots, green or red pepper, celery, green onions and garlic.
- Herbs: Cilantro, rosemary and thyme. If you wish you can also add a bay leaf or two.
- Meat: Diced smoked ham steak, or you can use bacon, sausage, or a smoked turkey leg.
- Additional seasoning: salt, black pepper, cumin and tomato sauce.
How To Make Bean Soup
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Rinse and soak beans overnight.
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Discard the soaked water the next day and place in a pot with 12 cups of water, cook uncovered 1 hour on medium-high heat.
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Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add oil and cook ham and cook until browned, 2 minutes.
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Add onions, carrot, garlic, green pepper, celery, green onions, cilantro, tomato sauce, cumin, salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes, until soft.
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Add to the beans along with the rosemary and thyme.
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Lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
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Uncover the pot, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until thick and the beans are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
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Add the kale and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes and Variations
- If your bean mix comes with a seasoning packet you’ll want to discard it.
- Also, it’s best to soak the beans overnight, then discard the water the next day before cooking.
- You can also make this in the pressure cooker, to speed it up, just use a little less water and cook it in half the time, about 1 hour on high pressure.
- Swap the ham for sausage, a ham hock or smoked turkey leg.
FAQs
Can you freeze bean soup?
Yes, you can freeze bean soup. Cool it, use freezer-safe containers, portion it, leave headspace, label, freeze promptly, thaw and reheat properly. Some soups with dairy may have texture changes, but bean soups freeze well.
How To Thicken Bean Soup
To thicken bean soup, here are a few methods you can try:
- Mash some beans: Take a ladleful of cooked beans from the soup and mash them using a fork or a blender. Return the mashed beans to the soup and stir well. The mashed beans will release starch, helping to thicken the soup.
- Blend a portion of the soup: Use an immersion blender or transfer a portion of the soup to a regular blender. Blend until smooth, and then return the blended soup to the pot. The blended beans will help thicken the soup.
- Simmer and reduce: Allow the soup to simmer uncovered for a longer period, which will help evaporate excess liquid and naturally thicken the soup. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
More Bean Soup Recipes you might like:
- Smoked Turkey Black Bean Soup
- Turkey Chili Taco Soup
- Chickpea Tomato Soup
- Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Lebanese Lentil Soup
16 Bean Soup with Ham and Kale
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag of 16 bean soup mix, discard flavor packet if it comes with it
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 oz low sodium smoked ham steak, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 small green pepper, diced (3/4 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (3/4 cup)
- 2 green onions, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely diced
- 2/3 cup of tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 4 cups kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and soak beans overnight.
- Discard the soaked water the next day and place in a pot with 12 cups of water, cook uncovered 1 hour on medium-high heat.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add oil and cook ham and cook until browned, 2 minutes.
- Add onions, carrot, garlic, green pepper, celery, green onions, cilantro, tomato sauce, cumin, salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add to the beans along with the rosemary and thyme.
- Lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the pot, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until thick and the beans are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Add the kale and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
