Ham Cannellini Bean Soup (Printable)

A comforting blend of tender ham, creamy beans, and fresh herbs for a flavorful dish ready in one hour.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 2 cups cooked ham, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans

06 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

→ Liquids

07 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

→ Herbs & Seasonings

08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
11 - 1 bay leaf
12 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste

→ Pantry

14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until shimmering.
02 - Add diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are softened and translucent.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add diced ham and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to integrate flavors.
05 - Add cannellini beans, broth, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
06 - Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to develop flavors.
07 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Simmer for 2 to 3 additional minutes.
08 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot, optionally garnished with additional fresh herbs.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in about an hour but tastes like you've been tending it all day.
  • The ham does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you can use whatever broth you have on hand and it still feels intentional.
  • Fresh herbs at the end wake everything up instead of letting it taste one-note.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans; it washes away the starch that would cloud your broth and make it feel gloopy instead of clean.
  • Add the fresh herbs at the very end—they'll lose their brightness if they simmer for too long, and brightness is their whole job.
  • Taste before serving because the ham's saltiness varies wildly depending on the brand, and you might need less salt than the recipe calls for.
03 -
  • Don't let the broth boil hard and fast the whole time; a gentle simmer extracts flavor without boiling things to death.
  • Fresh herbs added at the end taste like herbs; the same herbs simmered the whole time taste like ghosts of herbs, so timing is everything.
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