Hearty and warming, this easy soup is great for a Sunday supper, and leftovers keep great for lunches later in the week. Serve with simple bruschetta, which can be made quickly by toasting thick slices of country-style bread, brushing on good-quality olive oil, rubbing with a peeled garlic clove and seasoning lightly with salt.
Slow-Cooker White Bean and Ham Hock Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 lb. (1 kg) smoked ham hocks
- 3 cans (each 15 oz./470 g) white beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) chicken broth
- 1 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
1. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, 5 to 7 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if they begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and add the ham hocks, beans and broth.
2. Cover and cook on high heat until the ham is cooked through and the beans are just beginning to break down, about 4 hours.
3. Transfer the ham hocks to a cutting board. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove the meat, discarding the fat, skin and bones, and chop the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir into the beans. Cover and cook on high until the beans are creamy but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the parsley and a few grindings of pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
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Based on 37 Review(s)
6 comments
Can this soup be frozen for later use?
Are u supposed to soak the beans overnight?
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Please tell me what else is in the soup. Possibly sun dried tomatoes? Nor does the meat bear much resemblance to the residue of a ham bone. Looks lovely, but the mystery ingredients are confusing.
I think the “red” is the carrot.