There’s nothing quite as comforting as a warm, savory bowl of homemade soup, especially when it’s packed with wholesome ingredients and rich flavors. Our 16 bean soup with ham is exactly that – a truly heartwarming dish perfect for chilly evenings, budget-conscious meals, or making the most of holiday leftovers. Imagine a hearty broth brimming with a delightful medley of dried beans and tender chunks of savory ham, all brought together with simple pantry staples and a touch of seasoned love. This isn’t just a meal; it’s a cozy embrace in a bowl that satisfies both your stomach and your soul.

This recipe transforms a humble bag of dried bean soup mix into an incredibly flavorful and nourishing meal. Whether you’ve got leftover ham from a holiday feast or simply picked up some ham steaks, this soup is an excellent way to stretch your ingredients and feed a crowd without breaking the bank. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and versatility, allowing you to choose between using dry beans for a deep, slow-cooked flavor or opting for canned beans when you need a quicker, convenient option. Either way, you’re in for a treat that promises to be a hit with the whole family.

You might have walked past those bags of mixed dried beans at the grocery store, wondering what culinary magic they held. Well, prepare to be amazed! These humble mixes are the foundation for a deeply satisfying and incredibly affordable ham and bean soup. While most blends come with a small seasoning packet, we believe in taking flavor into our own hands. We discard that packet and instead build layers of robust taste using a few everyday ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. The result is a genuinely flavorful, incredibly frugal, and always popular 15 or 16 bean soup that will become a staple in your recipe rotation!

Why This Ham and 16 Bean Soup Will Be Your New Favorite

• Budget-Friendly & Economical: This recipe is a champion of frugal cooking. A single bag of 15 or 16-bean soup mix, combined with leftover ham and common pantry items, provides a hearty meal that’s both delicious and kind to your wallet. It’s an excellent choice for feeding a family or batch cooking for the week, proving that wholesome, flavorful food doesn’t have to be expensive.
• Incredibly Filling & Satisfying: Packed with an abundance of fiber from the diverse bean varieties and rich protein from the savory ham, this soup is anything but light. Each spoonful delivers a satisfying blend of textures and tastes, making it hearty enough to stand as a main dish on its own. You’ll feel full and nourished, ready to tackle anything.
• Clever Way to Use Leftover Ham: Do you find yourself with bits of delicious ham after holiday dinners like Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving? Don’t let them go to waste! This 16 bean soup is the perfect vehicle for transforming those leftovers into a brand-new, exciting meal. It’s a culinary win-win: preventing food waste while creating something extraordinary. If you don’t have holiday leftovers, easily use ham steaks or cubed cooked ham.
• Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor: Forget complicated spice blends. By discarding the often-underwhelming seasoning packet that comes with bean mixes, we elevate the flavor profile with fresh aromatic vegetables and a selection of common herbs and spices. This approach ensures a vibrant, well-balanced taste that truly shines.
• Nutritional Powerhouse: Beyond its incredible taste and affordability, this soup is a nutritional gem. Beans are an excellent source of plant-based protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, contributing to digestive health and sustained energy. Combined with lean ham and fresh vegetables, you get a well-rounded meal that’s both delicious and incredibly good for you.

Essential Ingredients for a Delicious 16 Bean Soup

• Bean Soup Mix: The star of our show! This recipe calls for 1 bag (approximately 20 ounces or 567 grams) of mixed dried beans. These blends are fantastic because they typically contain a diverse array of legumes, such as kidney beans, great northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, butter beans, baby lima beans, split peas, lentils, and more. This variety contributes to a complex texture and rich flavor.
  • Important Note: Many bean soup mixes include a small seasoning packet. For this recipe, we recommend discarding it. We’ll be building superior flavor from scratch using fresh ingredients and pantry seasonings!
• Cooked Ham: This is where your leftover ham truly shines! Whether it’s from a recent holiday dinner, saved in the freezer, or simply cubed ham steaks from the grocery store, cooked ham adds a wonderful smoky, salty depth to the soup. If you have a ham bone, consider using it to make a flavorful ham broth first for an even richer taste.
• Broth: We prefer using chicken broth for its balanced flavor, but vegetable broth is an excellent alternative if you’re looking for a meat-free base (just omit the ham or substitute with smoked sausage for flavor). Low-sodium options are great, allowing you to control the saltiness, especially since ham can be quite salty.
• Aromatic Vegetables: These form the flavor foundation of our soup, often referred to as the “holy trinity” in many cuisines. You’ll need a large yellow onion, several garlic cloves (minced), diced celery, and diced carrots. These vegetables soften and sweeten as they cook, infusing the broth with their delicious essences.
• Seasoning: To truly make this soup sing, we’re using a robust blend of spices. Creole seasoning (or Cajun seasoning for a spicier kick) brings a vibrant, complex profile. We also add garlic powder and onion powder to enhance the aromatics, along with essential salt and black pepper, which you’ll adjust to taste throughout the cooking process.

How to Make 15 or 16 Bean Soup: Step-by-Step Guide

This incredibly easy ham and bean soup recipe offers flexibility! You can prepare it on the stovetop for a classic approach or utilize a slow cooker for ultimate convenience and a hands-off cooking experience. The choice is entirely yours!

• Step One: Initial Bean Cooking. Begin by combining 10 cups of your chosen broth (chicken or vegetable) with the entire bag of dried bean soup mix in a large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot. Bring this mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, partially cover the pot with a lid, and let the beans cook for approximately 45 minutes. This initial cooking phase helps to soften the beans and start developing the broth’s base flavor.

• Step Two: Add Aromatics, Ham, and Seasonings. After the initial 45 minutes of cooking, carefully lift the lid. Now it’s time to build the soup’s robust flavor profile. Add your diced onion, minced garlic, diced celery, diced carrots, cubed ham, and all the specified seasonings: Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir all these ingredients thoroughly to ensure they are well combined and evenly distributed throughout the simmering beans and broth. Cover the pot again.

• Step Three: Final Simmering and Flavor Development. Continue to cook the soup, covered, for an additional 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the beans are perfectly tender. The exact cooking time can vary based on the age and type of dried beans, so taste them periodically to check for doneness. As the soup simmers, the flavors will meld beautifully, creating a rich and complex broth. Once the beans are tender, give the soup a final taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. You might want a pinch more salt, pepper, or Creole seasoning to suit your preference.

Effortless Slow Cooker 16 Bean Soup Instructions

For those days when you need a delicious meal with minimal effort, the slow cooker is your best friend. This method is perfect for letting the flavors slowly develop while you go about your day.

1. Initial Cook: Begin by adding the chicken broth and the entire bag of dried bean mix to your slow cooker (Crock-Pot). Secure the lid and cook on the HIGH setting for 5-6 hours. This extended initial cooking ensures the dried beans soften adequately without prior soaking.
2. Add Remaining Ingredients: After the initial cooking time, carefully remove the lid. Now, add the cubed ham, carrots, celery, minced garlic, Creole seasoning (or Cajun seasoning), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything well to combine.
3. Final Simmer: Replace the lid and continue to cook on the HIGH setting for another 1-2 hours, or until all the beans are completely tender and the vegetables are cooked through. The exact time will depend on your slow cooker and the tenderness of your beans.
4. Adjust and Serve: Before serving, taste the soup and adjust the seasonings according to your preference. You might want to add a splash of hot sauce or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for an extra pop of flavor.

Tips for the Perfect Homemade 16 Bean Soup

• To Soak or Not to Soak: Our recipe does not require pre-soaking the beans, as the cooking times provided are sufficient. However, if you prefer to pre-soak, it can reduce overall cooking time by about 30-60 minutes. To quick-soak, bring beans to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and proceed with the recipe.
• Achieving Creaminess: For a thicker, creamier soup, especially if you prefer a less brothy consistency, you can use a stick blender (immersion blender) to carefully purée a portion of the beans directly in the pot. Alternatively, scoop out about 1-2 cups of cooked beans, mash them with a fork, and stir them back into the soup. This adds body without making it entirely smooth.
• Building Flavor Depth: Don’t rush the simmering process. The longer the soup simmers (within reason), the more the flavors will meld and deepen. Tasting and adjusting seasonings throughout is key. A bay leaf added during simmering can also contribute a subtle aromatic note.
• Watch the Salt: Ham is often quite salty, as is commercial broth. Always taste your soup before adding extra salt, especially after the ham has been added and had time to infuse the broth. It’s easier to add more salt than to fix an overly salty soup.
• Don’t Forget the Acid: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a dash of apple cider vinegar at the end can brighten all the flavors and balance the richness of the ham and beans. This is an optional but highly recommended secret weapon for many soups.

Creative Variations & Easy Substitutions

One of the best things about this 16 bean soup is its adaptability. Feel free to experiment with these variations to suit your taste or what you have on hand:

• With Homemade Ham Broth: For an incredibly rich and deep flavor, consider making your own ham broth. This involves simmering a leftover ham bone with water and aromatics for several hours. Be aware that homemade ham broth can be quite salty, so it’s wise to dilute it with extra water or low-sodium chicken/vegetable broth to control the sodium level before using it in this recipe.
• Using Canned Beans for a Shortcut: If you’re short on time, swap the dried bean mix for 3-4 cans of drained, light-colored beans (such as cannellini, great northern, or pinto beans). Since canned beans are already cooked, you can add all the ingredients (ham, vegetables, seasonings, and broth) at once and simply simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Avoid using black beans in this recipe, as their dark color can muddy the broth, making it less visually appealing.
• Without Ham / Vegetarian Options: No ham? No problem! The cooked ham can be easily replaced with other savory meats like smoked sausage (Andouille sausage adds a fantastic kick), cooked Italian sausage, or crispy bacon bits. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the ham and use vegetable broth. You can add smoked paprika or a dash of liquid smoke for a hint of smoky flavor without the meat.
• Custom Flavor Enhancements: Don’t hesitate to personalize your soup with additional herbs, spices, and other flavor boosters. Consider adding:
  • Chili powder for a Tex-Mex twist.
  • Old Bay seasoning for a distinct savory note.
  • A bay leaf (remove before serving) for aromatic depth.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
  • Cumin for earthy warmth.
  • A drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end for brightness.
  • A spoonful of tomato paste, added with the aromatics, for a richer umami flavor.
• Add More Vegetables: Boost the nutritional content and flavor by adding other vegetables. Spinach or kale can be stirred in during the last 10 minutes of cooking until wilted. Diced bell peppers, corn, or even diced sweet potatoes would also be delicious additions.

What to Serve with Your Hearty Bean Soup

This 16 bean soup is a meal in itself, but a few simple accompaniments can elevate the experience and make it even more satisfying:

• Classic Bread Pairings:
  • Cornbread: A Southern classic, warm, buttery cornbread is perfect for soaking up the rich broth.
  • Crusty Bread or Dinner Rolls: A good crusty baguette or homemade dinner rolls are excellent for dipping.
  • Biscuits: Flaky, tender biscuits provide another comforting carbohydrate to round out the meal.
• Delicious Toppings:
  • Fresh Herbs: A sprinkle of fresh parsley or cilantro adds a pop of color and freshness.
  • Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: A dollop on top adds a creamy tang that complements the savory flavors.
  • Shredded Cheese: Cheddar or Monterey Jack can melt beautifully into the warm soup.
  • Crispy Onions or Croutons: For an added textural crunch.
  • A Dash of Hot Sauce: For those who love an extra kick of heat.
• Simple Sides:
  • A light green salad with a vinaigrette dressing offers a refreshing contrast.
  • Steamed greens like collards or kale can be a great, healthy addition.

Storing and Freezing 16 Bean Soup for Later Enjoyment

This hearty 16 bean soup is fantastic for meal prep or for enjoying throughout the week. It reheats beautifully, often tasting even better the next day as the flavors continue to meld.

• Refrigerator Storage: Allow any leftover soup to cool completely to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store the container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if it has thickened too much.
• Freezing for Longer: For longer storage, this soup freezes exceptionally well. Once cooled, ladle the soup into freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, leaving about an inch of headspace to allow for expansion. Freeze for up to 4 months. To serve, thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat it directly from frozen over low heat, stirring occasionally, though this will take longer.
• Batch Cooking Benefits: Doubling this recipe is a great idea if you have a large pot. You’ll have enough to enjoy some immediately and freeze portions for quick, homemade meals on busy future days. It’s perfect for nutritious lunches or last-minute dinners.

More Delicious and Easy Soup Recipes to Try

If you loved this comforting 16 bean soup, you’ll surely enjoy these other easy and flavorful soup recipes that are perfect for any occasion: