Crockpot Bean Soup
Crockpot Bean Soup made with dry beans, ham, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, broth, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, peas, and red wine vinegar.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry bean soup mix with seasoning packet omitted, or 1 lb dry great northern beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 cup carrots cut into ½-inch pieces, about 3 to 4 medium carrots
- 1 cup celery cut into ½-inch pieces, about 3 stalks
- 2 cloves garlic minced, about 2 tsp
- 1 meaty ham bone or 1 lb cooked diced or shredded leftover ham, about 2 ½ cups
- 4 cups unsalted chicken stock beef broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water plus additional as needed
- 1 can diced tomatoes in their juices 15 oz
- ¾ lb new potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes cut into ½-inch dice, about 2 ⅓ cups, optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper plus additional to taste
- 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary or a small bundle of fresh thyme, or a mixture of both
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the beans.
- Rinse and drain the dry beans. Sort through the beans carefully and remove any debris or unwanted pieces. Place the prepared beans in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
Sauté the vegetables.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat the extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, add the diced red onion, carrots, and celery.
Cook the vegetables.
- Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for approximately 6 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender and the onion begins to turn translucent.
Add the garlic.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Transfer the cooked vegetable mixture to the slow cooker with the beans.
Add the remaining soup ingredients.
- Add the ham bone or cooked ham, unsalted broth, water, diced tomatoes with their juices, potatoes if using, bay leaf, smoked paprika, chili powder, black pepper, and rosemary or thyme to the slow cooker.
Cook the soup.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.
Remove the herbs and bay leaf.
- Once the soup is cooked, remove and discard the bay leaf and the rosemary or thyme stems. The herb leaves may fall into the soup during cooking, which is acceptable.
Prepare the ham.
- If using a ham bone, carefully remove it from the slow cooker. Shred or chop any meat remaining on the bone, then return the meat to the soup. Discard the bone.
Finish the soup.
- Stir in the red wine vinegar and peas. If a thinner soup is desired, add additional water until the preferred consistency is reached.
Season to taste.
- Taste the soup before adding salt. Add kosher salt a pinch at a time, if needed, until the soup is properly seasoned. The amount of salt required will depend on the saltiness of the ham.
Serve.
- Serve hot with additional black pepper, if desired.
Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, use a certified gluten-free dry bean mix or plain dry beans such as great northern, pinto, cannellini, or navy beans.
Omit any seasoning packet included with a bean soup mix unless it is clearly labeled gluten-free.
Use certified gluten-free chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth.
Confirm that the ham bone or cooked ham is gluten-free and does not contain gluten-based fillers, marinades, glazes, or seasoning blends.
Check the labels on the diced tomatoes, smoked paprika, chili powder, red wine vinegar, and all packaged ingredients to ensure they are gluten-free.
Serve with gluten-free sides such as gluten-free cornbread, gluten-free bread, rice, potatoes, or gluten-free crackers.
Use clean utensils, cookware, cutting boards, and serving tools to avoid cross-contamination.