Published: Sep 10, 2026
Made with dried beans, a smoked ham hock, and a small handful of pantry staples, this 15 bean soup is a budget-friendly dinner that’s great for planned leftovers.
Soups Don’t Get Cozier Than This!
This hearty, stick-to-your-ribs soup starts with a package of dried beans soaked overnight that gets simmered with a smoky ham hock (or the meat and bone from leftover holiday ham), tender carrots, onion, canned tomatoes, and a few choice spices.
The ham hock does most of the heavy lifting, lending the broth that deep, borderline bacon-y flavor that makes you want to go back for just one more bowl. After the beans have simmered until tender and the ham is darn near falling off the bone, the meat gets pulled, chopped, and stirred right back into the pot.
Hearty, comforting, and oh so satisfying, you’ll definitely be scraping the bottom of your bowl to enjoy those final few slurps.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® — As far as I know, this bean soup mix is the only one sold of its kind, so there’s no good substitute I can provide for it.
- Ham hock — Despite being one of the cheapest cuts of pork on the market, the smoked, bacon-y flavor of the humble ham hock is what makes this soup so good.
- Chicken bouillon — I discard the seasoning packet that’s included in the packet of beans because it’s very salty. Instead I mix chicken bouillon with some water and then salt to taste.
- Veggies — For flavor and texture, I added onion, garlic, carrots, and diced tomatoes to the soup.
- Herbs and spices — A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chili powder, and a pinch of kosher salt are all that’s needed to round out the soup.
- Lemon juice — Brightens up the broth and prevents the 15 bean soup from tasting too heavy.
- Garnishes — I like to sprinkle my bowl with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
How to Make 15 Bean Soup with a Ham Hock
- Soak your beans. While you could totally use canned beans to make this recipe, buying a package of mixed dried beans and soaking them overnight in cool water will provide the creamiest texture and tenderest bite.
- Simmer the beans with the ham hock. To keep this recipe as simple as possible, I skipped sautéing the veggies and aromatics and instead opted to dump everything into a large soup pot and simmer gently for a couple of hours. Between the flavorful veggies and smoky ham hock, you’re essentially creating your own ham broth as the soup cooks.
- Finish and serve. Pull the ham hock out of the soup and cut the meat off the bone. The bone has done its job, so it can be tossed — but return all that ham to the pot! Add a squeeze of lemon, then ladle into bowls before topping with Parm and parsley.
What to Serve With Ham and Bean Soup
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
15 Bean Soup Recipe
Made with dried beans, a smoked ham hock, and a small handful of pantry staples, this 15 bean soup is a budget-friendly dinner that’s great for planned leftovers.
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Servings 8
Calories 495kcal
Ingredients
- 20 ounce package HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® (seasoning packet discarded)
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon base
- 1 pound smoked ham hock,
- 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 6 smashed garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
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Soak beans before cooking. In a colander, rinse 20 ounce package HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® thoroughly. Check for any bad beans and discard. Add the beans to a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover with a lid and soak for 8 hours up to overnight.
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Cook the beans with the ham hock. Drain the water from the beans, rinse, and add them back to the pot. Add 8 cups water, 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon base, 1 pound smoked ham hock, 15- ounce can diced tomatoes,1 medium-sized onion, 6 smashed garlic cloves, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Bring to a boil, then skim any foam from the broth. Lower to a rolling simmer, and cook covered with a lid for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Discard the rosemary stems.
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Dice the meat and add the aromatics. Remove the ham hock from the soup and cut the meat from the bone. Add back to the soup with 3 carrots, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring back to a rolling simmer, and cook for 30-45 minutes. Add the juice from 1 lemon. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley.
Notes
To store: Leftover bean soup will last up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. This soup reheats well in either the microwave or on the stove.
Nutrition
Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 883mg | Potassium: 1406mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4283IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 7mg
FAQs
No! Soaking the beans first makes them super tender and creamy, plus it ensures the soup cooks at a predictable rate. If you add the package of dried beans straight to the pot, you’d have to add so much extra liquid throughout the cooking process.
You could use bacon or diced ham instead of the ham hock, but you’ll be missing out on lots of free flavor if you go that route. (Plus, there’s surprisingly plenty of meat on the bone for the soup.)
If you’ve got a leftover ham bone and / or diced ham from your holiday dinner, that works great too! The bone is what gives the mixed bean soup so much flavor, and I’d argue it’s more important than the ham itself.
You likely didn’t soak them for long enough or the beans just need to be simmered for another 30ish minutes.
More Hearty Bean Soup Recipes
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