🍲 Slow Cooker Ham & White Beans
A hearty, comforting meal — tender ham, creamy white beans, and flavorful aromatics — perfect for cold days or easy weeknight dinners.
🧂 Ingredients (Serves 6–8)
- 2 cups dried white beans (e.g., cannellini, navy, or great northern) – soaked overnight or quick-soaked
- 2–3 cups cooked ham, diced (leftover ham works great)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional: smoked paprika, parsley for garnish
🔥 Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare Beans
- Overnight soak: Cover beans with water and soak 6–8 hours.
- Quick soak: Boil beans 5 minutes, cover, let sit 1 hour.
- Drain and rinse before adding to slow cooker.
2️⃣ Combine Ingredients
- Add beans, diced ham, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, broth, bay leaves, and thyme to the slow cooker.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper (adjust later, as ham is salty).
3️⃣ Cook
- Low: 6–8 hours
- High: 3–4 hours
- Beans should be tender and creamy.
4️⃣ Finish
- Remove bay leaves.
- Adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, or smoked paprika).
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
💡 Tips
- Leftover ham: Perfect for this recipe, adds flavor without extra salt.
- Beans: Don’t add salt until the beans are tender; it can toughen them.
- Vegetables: Carrots and celery add sweetness and texture, but optional if you prefer simple beans & ham.
- Creamy texture: For extra creaminess, mash a few beans against the side of the cooker before serving.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
- Serve with cornbread or crusty bread
- Add a simple green salad on the side
- Leftovers taste even better the next day — flavors meld overnight
If you want, I can also make a “one-pot shortcut” version using canned beans that cooks in 2 hours instead of slow-cooking all day.
Do you want me to do that?
