Tasty Leftover Hearty Ham and Cannellini Bean Soup

This hearty ham and cannellini bean soup can be prepared with leftover ham. In fact it’s an amazing dish to make with ham! It’s so s comforting and packed with flavour. Want a change from chicken noodle soup? Give this one a try! This is a good recipe to check out if you are looking for a leftover ham recipe or something to make with cannellini beans. Want to know what to do with leftover white beans? Well, here’s the perfect answer.

Cannellini bean and ham soup is a delicious and comforting dish. Enjoy it with crusty bread and use that to soak up every last mouthful of this tasty bean ham soup.

Also try miso ramen soup, spicy shrimp pasta and shrimp linguine. Butternut squash soup and roasted pumpkin apple soup are good too.

Why You’ll Love This

• A great way to use leftover meat: If you have a leftover ham bone, this is hands down one of the very best recipes to make with it.
• Tasty: The ham adds so much flavour and the beans do too. This is such a nicely balanced recipe and I know you’ll love how it come out.
• Simple: This is an easy recipe to prepare, even if you haven’t made many soups before. You’ll want to save ham bones in the future to make it again and again.

Ham Bone Soup Ingredients

You will need a ham bone as well as leftover ham to make this dish. I like to add plenty of veggies too. Carrots, onion and celery are great in this soup. Actually pretty much any recipe with cannellini beans goes well with vegetables.

I added even more flavour with garlic, cumin, Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes. The combination of those ingredients make this ham leftover recipe a roaring success! And yes I might have had more than one bowl!

You will need a big stockpot to make this. I recommend a pot with a thick, heavy base. Anything too thin might result in uneven heat or your food sticking to the bottom and burning. Maybe you know hearty ham and cannellini bean soup from your mother or grandmother. Or maybe this is a new recipe to you.

Whichever is the case, I know dried beans star in a lot of the older recipes. I like to use canned beans though. It’s just quicker and easier! And this leftover ham and bean soup tastes perfect using canned beans.

Leftover Ham and Cannellini Bean Soup: How to Make It

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Sauté the vegetables and bone: The first thing to do is coax all the flavours out of not only the vegetables but also the ham bone. Put the ham bone and vegetables in a lightly greased stock pot and cook until tender.
Add the seasonings: After adding the garlic, Italian seasoning, cumin, and red pepper flakes, cook for another minute.
Add the beans: Add the beans and some water, then simmer for half an hour.
Season and serve: Add salt and pepper to taste and then serve hot.

The amount of salt you need depends on the ham. Some kinds of ham are way saltier than others, so just taste as you go to get the amount right.

Other Ham Leftover Recipe Ideas

Still got some ham left over after making this hearty ham and cannellini bean soup? There are lots of things you can do with leftover ham. Add it to an omelette or savoury pancake recipe. Mix it with chilled pasta, mayonnaise and veggies to make a cold pasta salad.

Add it to quesadillas or make a ham and potato hash.  Leftover ham will last for three or four days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Or you could wrap it in plastic wrap then foil and freeze it. And there are plenty of ham leftover recipe ideas to choose from. So don’t worry about buying too much ham!

Ham Bone Soup FAQs

Ham and Cannellini Bean Soup Recipe

Tips for Leftover Ham and Bean Soup

This leftover ham and bean soup is great how I made it. When I make it again, I might change some things. You can use any veggies you like here. So if you have leftover cooked vegetables as well as the leftover ham, throw them in! They’re already cooked so you can add them a couple of minutes before the end, just to warm them through. Dice them first, since this soup is eaten with a spoon and little chunks are best.

If you want to make it more filling, add some noodles or pasta. Little shapes work best – for the same reason small chunks of veggies are best! You can cook the pasta in the soup rather than cooking it first then adding it. Make this recipe with cannellini beans, ham and veggies following the recipe, then add the pasta 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. As long as the soup is at a low simmer, the pasta will cook.

Can you make this in a crockpot? Sure! I would still recommend sautéing the vegetables with the ham bone first though, just to get that tasty char and caramelisation. Then you can transfer them into a large slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and cover the crockpot.

I expect this would take 3 hours on high or maybe 6 on low. Slow cooking would really coax the flavour out of this recipe with cannellini beans and ham.

Enjoy this hearty ham and cannellini bean soup with buttered crusty bread. It’s sure to put a smile on your face and comfort your soul! There is always something so comforting and special about homemade soup! Let me know if you make this ham and bean soup and if you enjoyed it!

More Comfort Food Recipe Ideas

• Smoked Sweet Onion Honey Glazed Ham
• Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
• Leftover Ham, Broccoli and Cheese Crescent Cups
• Slow Cooker Chunky Ham, Potato, Cheese and Broccoli Soup
• Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Biscuit Topping