This quick and easy ham and bean soup is packed full of white beans, smoked ham, carrots, and onions. It’s ready in just 30 minutes and a hearty way to use up all that leftover holiday ham.

Ok, I have a teeny tiny confession.

Ready? I don’t really like eating ham.

I like ham in things but not alone. In soup? Great! On a sandwich? Good! Mixed with cheesy potatoes? HECK YES! Piled on a plate with nothing else? Eh. I’ll pass.

I also prefer smoked ham over sweet ham because I’m just not a fan of sugar-crusted meat.

Reading this makes me think I’m pretty high maintenance with my food.

Or at least I’m high maintenance when it comes to ham.

When I was a kid my favorite way to use up leftover ham was easy ham and bean soup.

If you have the time you can start with dried beans. If you don’t have the time to use dried beans then this is just the recipe for you.

From start to finish this post of soup took me 30 minutes.

30 minutes for a giant pot of soup is 100% weekday possible.

Tips for adding flavor to this easy ham and bean soup

One of the things that make this soup taste like it’s been cooking all day is the addition of a smoked ham hock. It gives you that cooked all day taste without actually cooking all day.

I also decided to use the water/juice from the cans of the beans. It helps to thicken up the soup and gives it a texture very similar to a bean soup that has simmered for hours. Because of this, it’s important to pick a good quality canned beans.

Something that has lots of added salt may end up making the soup salty so keep that in mind.

Tips for perfecting this easy ham and bean soup

I tend to keep the vegetable addition down to a minimum when it comes to this easy ham and bean soup.

I personally just like onions and carrots. However, some people like throwing in celery, butternut squash, and even sweet potatoes. It’s a great way to use up any random vegetables hanging out in your fridge.

Now, for serving, I like it with a few dashes of malt vinegar. It is the PERFECT topping!

Seriously, if you have never had malt vinegar on ham and bean soup your mind will be blown.

Love this easy ham and bean soup?

Why not try a few of my other delicious soup recipes!