Ham and Red Bean Soup (Print version)

Smoky ham and tender red beans simmered with spices for a comforting, Creole-inspired dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone
02 - 8 ounces diced smoked ham

→ Beans

03 - 1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight and drained

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
10 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

→ Liquids

11 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water

→ Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjusted to taste
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
17 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
18 - 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, optional
19 - 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, optional

→ Accompaniment

20 - Cooked long-grain white rice for serving, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the soaked and drained red beans, smoked ham hock, diced ham, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, black pepper, white pepper if using, and salt.
04 - Pour in the chicken stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
05 - After 1 hour, check the beans for tenderness. Continue simmering until the beans are creamy and the meat is falling off the bone.
06 - Remove the ham hock. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the pot; discard the bone and excess fat.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, black pepper, or hot sauce if desired.
08 - Serve hot over cooked rice, garnished with green onions and parsley.

# Tips from the pros:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day, so one pot feeds you twice without any guilt about shortcuts.
  • The ham hock does all the heavy lifting while you're doing something else, making this feel less like cooking and more like magic happening in your Dutch oven.
02 -
  • If your beans are still firm after 90 minutes, they might not have soaked long enough—this happened to me once, and I learned to never skip the overnight soak.
  • Mashing a few beans gently against the side of the pot thickens the soup naturally without flour or cream, and this small move changes everything.
03 -
  • Don't rush to remove the ham hock; if it's still holding together, it hasn't released enough flavor yet, so give it another 15 minutes.
  • Keep the lid only partial—full coverage traps too much steam and makes the soup cloudy instead of clear and rich.
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