Stop, don’t leave!! This may not be the prettiest soup around, but this black bean and ham bone soup is one of the tastiest.
Mike does a lot of traveling for work. So that means he eats a lot. When Mike is on the road, we talk on the phone at night when we are both done with work and I have the dinner dishes washed and put away. One of the questions I always ask Mike… “what did you have for dinner”?
On one occasion he told me about a black bean and ham soup that he had. He told me that when the waitress brought him the soup that she mentioned that the soup did not look all that tasty, but not to let that fool him, that the soup was delicious. He loved the soup and encouraged me to make some.
The only trouble with that was, when I asked him what he thought was in the soup besides the black beans and ham, he wasn’t quite sure. He did mention that there were peas placed on top of the soup, he thought for some color.
So, I made it my way. When he told me about the soup, he really had me when he mentioned the words black beans. I love black beans, but I have never thought of making them the focal point in a soup. I mean, I love adding black beans to soup, but there are always a lot of vegetables and other things that they are not the main part of the soup.
When Easter rolled around, we had dinner at my mom’s house. I was thrilled when she offered me the ham bone. I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Black bean and ham bone soup… just what I was waiting for.
It is somewhat hard to describe this soup. But it has the smoky and saltiness from the ham and then there are the lovely black beans. I love it; I mean I really love this soup.
If you like black beans, you are going to love this black bean and ham bone soup.
Black bean and ham bone soup a hearty soup with the salty flavor from the ham and the beans that will fill you up.
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup carrots sliced
- 8 cups water
- 1 lb black beans dried ones
- ham bone with some meat on it
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Additional ham to add to the soup
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The night before you are going to make the soup wash the beans. After washing them put them in a medium bowl and cover them with water, making sure to have the water about one or two inches above the beans.
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On the day that you are doing to make the soup, drain the water off of the beans and set aside.
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In a large Dutch oven or a soup pot add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and carrots; cook until the vegetables begin to soften.
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Add the 8 cups of water and the beans, stir together.
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Place the ham bone in the Dutch oven with the other ingredients.
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Add the bay leaves.
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Bring to a boil; once the soup starts to boil turn the soup to medium-low.
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Continue to cook until the beans are tender, about 2 to 4 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature of the stove).
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Once the beans are tender remove the ham bone and bay leaves. Remove the ham from the bone and chop place back in the soup. If you want additional ham add at this time.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste
Prep time does not include the time to soak the beans
I love black bean and this soup recipe is just amazing. Loaded with full of flavors and yummy combo 🙂
I have no doubt at all this soup taste heavenly! Black beans and ham bone…a great combo for some hearty and delicious soup!
Interesting soup recipe..looks delicious!!!
I love black beans, too, Dawn! And the ham bone is like gold. Sometimes you can get cheap ham bones in the middle of the summer at places like Honey Baked Ham. We’ve def been known to stock up on like 4-5 ham bones for the freezer. I think the next one might be destined for this soup!
Hi Dawn:)
I think it’s amazing that your husband ordered black bean soup while dining on the road. My expereince with men and business trips is they usually don’t go for the healthy choices. Good for him!
No, black bean soup does not look appealing either in person or in pictures. However, it sure tastes good and is good for the body and soul too. You lucky girl to score on that ham bone. I have one in the freezer just begging to be beaned, lol…your ingredients are just perfect and to tell you the truth, I think your pictures are just as good.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Dawn. Seriously, if you like black beans and the hubby does too, you really should try black bean brownies if you haven’t before. They are amazing!!!
Hi Louise, the black bean brownies sound interesting. I think I will have to try that out. Thanks for a great idea.
Love that last shot. Brilliant. And also brilliant is you, for putting something together, your way.
Very cool.
Looks delicious to me!
I love black beans & I love black bean soup & chili. This soup looks and sounds delicious!