Crock Pot Ham and White Beans
Turn your leftover holiday ham bone into a hearty, budget-friendly pot of slow cooker ham and white beans. Just five minutes of prep, then the crock pot does the rest.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. white beans dried navy or Great Northern beans, picked over and rinsed
- 1 meaty ham bone leftover from a holiday ham, or 1-2 smoked ham hocks or ham shanks
- 2 cups diced ham cooked leftover ham, optional if your ham bone is very meaty
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 8 cups water or enough to cover the beans by 2-3 inches
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- The night before, place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with several inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse the beans and add them to the slow cooker.
- Add the ham bone (or ham hocks), diced ham and chopped onion. Pour in the water so the beans are covered by 2 to 3 inches. Use more water if you like your beans soupy.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, until the beans are tender and creamy.
- About an hour before serving, remove the ham bone and let it cool slightly. Pull off any meat, chop it and return it to the pot; discard the bone and fat. Stir in the pepper and taste before adding the salt, since ham is already salty. Cover and finish cooking.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot with cornbread or biscuits. Garnish with chopped green onions if you like.
Notes
Soak the beans overnight, or quick-soak them: boil for 2 minutes, then cover and let stand 1 hour before draining. Ham varies a lot in saltiness, so taste before adding all of the salt. Cooking time: 8-10 hours on LOW or 4-6 hours on HIGH. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 28gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 1401mgPotassium: 994mgFiber: 19gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 129mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
