Soup
$0.67per plate
Prep
10 min
Soup · Ham and Bean Soup
Ham and Bean Soup
Ham and Bean Soup is old-fashioned comfort food built from pantry staples: tender white beans and savory diced ham simmered with onion, carrots, and celery in a light, brothy base. Using canned beans skips the overnight soak, so a pot is ready in about 45 minutes, and mashing a scoop of the beans thickens the broth without any cream. It is bean-forward and hearty rather than a tomatoey chili or a lentil soup, and at well under a dollar a bowl it is one of the cheapest dinners on the site. Find it with the rest of our soup recipes, and if you like cooking from the cupboard, our red beans and rice is another bean-and-meat classic.
$0.89per plate
Estimated recipe total
$5.33 · serves 6
Cook
35 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/ham-and-bean-soup
Equipment
- Large pot
Variations
- Simmer a leftover ham bone in the pot for extra flavor, then pull off the meat before serving.
- Use navy, cannellini, or great northern beans, whichever is cheapest at your store.
- Soak 1 cup dried white beans overnight and simmer 60 to 90 minutes until tender instead of using canned.
- Use a few ounces of chopped smoked sausage or cooked bacon instead of ham.
1 How to make it
1
Brown the ham and vegetables
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the diced ham for 2 to 3 minutes to brown it a little. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes until softened, then stir in the garlic for another minute.
2
Add the beans and broth
Stir in the drained beans, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook for about 20 minutes so the flavors come together and the ham turns tender.
3
Thicken the soup
Scoop out about a cup of the beans and broth, mash it with a fork or blend it smooth, then stir it back in. This thickens the soup into something hearty without any cream or flour.
4
Season and serve
Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, keeping in mind the ham and broth are already salty, so add carefully. Serve hot with crusty bread or cornbread.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Leftover ham or a ham bone. This is a great way to use up a holiday ham. Toss in a ham bone while it simmers for extra flavor, then pull off the meat before serving. Diced ham keeps it accessible any time of year.
- Navy, cannellini, or great northern beans. Any small white bean works. Navy beans are the most traditional; cannellini are a little bigger and creamier. Use what is cheapest at your store.
- Dried beans instead of canned. Soak 1 cup dried white beans overnight, then simmer 60 to 90 minutes until tender before adding the rest. It is cheaper but adds real time, so plan ahead.
- Smoked sausage or bacon. No ham on hand? A few ounces of chopped smoked sausage or cooked bacon give a similar smoky, savory backbone.
3 Budget tips
- Two cans of beans do most of the work here, which is why a hearty bowl lands under a dollar.
- A little diced ham goes a long way for flavor, so you do not need much to make the whole pot taste rich and smoky.
- Mashing some of the beans thickens the soup for free, so there is no need for cream or a flour roux.
- This soup freezes and reheats beautifully, so a big batch is two cheap dinners with almost no extra work.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The soup thickens as the beans absorb broth, so loosen it with a splash of water or broth when reheating.
Freezer
Bean soups freeze very well since there is no dairy to separate. Cool completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop.
Reheating
Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave until piping hot, stirring in a little broth or water to bring it back to a soupy consistency.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
250
Protein
16g
Fat
6g
Carbs
32g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I have to soak the beans?
No. This recipe uses canned beans, so there is no soaking and the soup is ready in about 45 minutes. If you prefer dried beans for the lower cost, soak 1 cup overnight and simmer them until tender before building the soup, which adds an hour or more.
How is ham and bean soup different from lentil soup or chili?
Ham and bean soup is a brothy white-bean soup flavored with savory ham, with no tomato. Lentil soup uses lentils and a tomato-cumin base, and chili is a thick, spiced tomato stew with ground beef. This one is milder, bean-forward, and built around the ham.
How do I make it thicker?
Mash or blend about a cup of the beans and stir them back in, which thickens the broth naturally. For an even thicker soup, mash more of the beans or simmer it uncovered a few extra minutes to reduce.
How is $0.89 a plate figured?
The whole pot is about $5.33 for six servings, so roughly $0.89 each. Two cans of beans and a modest portion of diced ham keep it one of the cheapest dinners we make.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
Feeding a crowd tonight? This one is also part of our Easy Family Dinner Recipes collection.
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