Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup is the kind of dinner I start before breakfast and then forget about until the house smells like ham. A bag of Hurst’s mix, two smoked ham hocks, some broth and a few vegetables go into the pot, and eight hours later there is a big, thick, smoky soup waiting. No soaking the night before.
How to make slow cooker 15 bean soup: Rinse and sort the beans, then put them in a 6-quart slow cooker with 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, chili powder and the ham hocks. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours until the beans are tender, pull the meat off the hocks, then stir in the diced tomatoes, lemon juice and the seasoning packet and cook 30 more minutes on HIGH. Salt goes in last, after you taste.
Why You’ll Love It
- No soaking — the beans go in dry, straight from the bag after a rinse.
- Fifteen minutes of prep — chop an onion, two carrots and two celery ribs, and the slow cooker does the rest.
- Feeds ten — one bag of mix makes a full pot, and it freezes well.
- Real ham flavor — the hocks give up their meat and smoke into the broth over the long cook.
Ingredient Notes
The 15 bean soup mix is a 20-ounce bag of Hurst’s HamBeens. Fish the ham flavor packet out before you rinse the beans and set it aside; it goes in at the end, or not at all if you would rather season the soup yourself.
For the meat, I use two smoked ham hocks, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds total. One pound of diced ham is the easy swap, and it cooks for the same time. A leftover ham bone works too. Whatever you use, thaw it first. USDA FSIS says to always thaw meat before it goes in the slow cooker.
Use low-sodium chicken broth. The hocks and the packet are salty already. Water works in place of broth.
The diced tomatoes and lemon juice wait until the beans are soft. More on that below. One teaspoon of chili powder is all the spice this needs.
Ingredients
- 1 package (20 ounces) 15 bean soup mix, such as Hurst’s HamBeens, rinsed and sorted, ham flavor packet set aside
- 2 smoked ham hocks, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds total (or 1 pound diced ham)
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste at the end
How to Make Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup
1. Sort and rinse the beans. Pour the bean mix into a colander. Pick out any stones or broken bits, then rinse well under cold water. Set the seasoning packet aside. No soaking.
2. Load the slow cooker. Put the beans in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and chili powder and give it a stir. Tuck the ham hocks down into the beans. They should be thawed, never frozen. Do not add the tomatoes, lemon juice or salt yet.
3. Cook on LOW. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender. Keep the lid on and open it only to check. HIGH takes about 4 to 5 hours.
4. Pull the ham. Lift out the ham hocks and let them cool a few minutes. Pull the meat off the bones, discard the skin, fat and bones, and stir the meat back into the soup.
5. Add the tomatoes. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juice, the lemon juice and the seasoning packet if you are using it. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 more minutes.
6. Season and serve. Taste, then add salt and pepper. Ham hocks and broth vary in salt, so this is the moment to decide. For a thicker soup, mash a cup of beans against the side of the pot and stir. Serve hot.
When to Add the Tomatoes and Salt
This is the part that matters most. The diced tomatoes and the lemon juice go in after the beans are tender, never at the start. The tomatoes and lemon juice go in after the beans are tender because the acid keeps beans from softening. So the tomatoes, the lemon juice and the seasoning packet all wait for the last 30 minutes.
Salt waits even longer. Taste the soup after the tomatoes have cooked in, then salt it. Ham hocks and broth both vary a lot, and a ham bone in particular can make the soup salty on its own.
Soak or No Soak?
No soak. No soak. The bag maker’s own slow cooker recipe skips it, and so does this one. The long cook does the job the soak would have done. On the stovetop, soaking can shorten the cook. In the slow cooker the long cook does that job.
Cook times vary from one slow cooker to the next, so here are the ranges. Check the beans; they are done when they are tender.
| Setting | Time until beans are tender |
|---|---|
| LOW | 6 to 7 hours, or 7 to 8 hours |
| HIGH | About 4 hours, or about 5 hours; the bag maker’s own recipe, which starts with water instead of broth, says 6 to 7 hours |
| After the tomatoes go in | 30 to 35 minutes more on HIGH |
Some cooks prefer HIGH for unsoaked beans; others cook them on LOW for 7 to 8 hours and get tender beans. I go with LOW. It fits a workday, and USDA FSIS says cooking on LOW the whole time is safe. Either way, keep the lid on; USDA FSIS says to remove it only to stir or check doneness.
Ham Hocks, Ham Bone, or Diced Ham
Ham hocks are my pick. When the beans are done, lift them out, let them cool enough to handle, pull the meat off, and throw away the skin, fat and bones. A leftover ham bone, or two small ones, can stand in for the hocks and gets the same treatment. Diced ham is the no-fuss option: about 1 pound, added at the start, with no change to the cook time. If the soup looks greasy, lay a paper towel on the surface for a moment to soak up the fat.
Thicker or Thinner Soup
This soup comes out thick and stew-like. If you want it thicker still, mash a cup of beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir them back in, or puree a cup of beans with some broth and return it. For a brothier soup, the bag maker’s recipe says to use 9 to 10 cups of liquid instead of 8.
Variations
- Smoked sausage — 1 pound of smoked sausage can take the place of the ham hocks or diced ham.
- Ham bone — a leftover ham bone cooks with the beans in place of the hocks; pull the meat off at the end.
- A little heat — a few dashes of hot sauce at the table are optional, along with the salt and pepper.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it is above 90 F), and to divide a big pot of soup into shallow covered containers so it cools fast. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. I freeze it flat in bags.
To reheat, USDA FSIS says to bring soup to a rolling boil, or heat it to 165 F, on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven. Do not reheat leftovers in the slow cooker. Stir in a splash of broth as it warms, and use thawed leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
What to Serve With It
Something bready is the classic move, and a pan of butter biscuits or cornbread is what I put on the table most often. The same slow cooker and a bag of dried beans also make crock pot ham and beans with Great Northern beans, slow cooker black-eyed peas with bacon, and slow cooker Amish lima beans. For another bean soup with a different accent, try slow cooker pasta fagioli. And if you bought a whole ham for the bone, the leftover meat goes into ham and potato corn chowder later in the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to soak the 15 bean soup mix?
No. Rinse the beans, pick out any debris, and put them in the slow cooker dry. The beans come out tender after 7 to 8 hours on LOW or about 4 to 5 hours on HIGH.
Can I use a ham bone or leftover ham instead of ham hocks?
Yes. A leftover ham bone, or two small ones, cooks with the beans in place of the hocks; pull the meat off at the end. Diced ham, about 1 pound, goes in at the start with no change to the timing. A ham bone can make the soup salty, so taste before you add any salt.
Can I freeze 15 bean soup?
Yes. USDA FSIS says leftovers keep 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Refrigerate the soup within 2 hours of cooking, in shallow containers, then freeze. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave to 165 F, and use thawed leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
How do I thicken 15 bean soup?
Mash a cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in, or puree a cup of beans with a little broth and return it to the soup.
Final Notes
This soup asks for almost nothing: a rinse, a chop, and the patience to leave the tomatoes and the salt for the end. Get those two things right and the beans do the rest.
Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 package 15 bean soup mix 20 ounces, Hurst's HamBeens; rinsed and sorted; set the ham flavor packet aside (optional, added at the end)
- 2 smoked ham hocks about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds total; or 1 pound diced ham
- 8 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 onion medium, diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces, with juice; added at the end
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh; added at the end
- salt and black pepper to taste, at the end
Instructions
- Pour the bean mix into a colander. Pick out any stones or broken bits, then rinse well under cold water. Set the seasoning packet aside. No soaking.
- Put the beans in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and chili powder and give it a stir. Tuck the ham hocks down into the beans. They should be thawed, never frozen. Do not add the tomatoes, lemon juice or salt yet.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beans are tender. Keep the lid on and open it only to check. HIGH takes about 4 to 5 hours.
- Lift out the ham hocks and let them cool a few minutes. Pull the meat off the bones, discard the skin, fat and bones, and stir the meat back into the soup.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juice, the lemon juice and the seasoning packet if you are using it. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 more minutes.
- Taste, then add salt and pepper. Ham hocks and broth vary in salt, so this is the moment to decide. For a thicker soup, mash a cup of beans against the side of the pot and stir. Serve hot.
