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old-fashioned ham and beans

(7 ratings)
kathiecc avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Kathie Carr
@kathiecc
North Liberty, IN

Grandma always made bean soup in the week after Easter with the leftover ham bone and meat.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Very simple ingredients are used to make these old-fashioned ham and beans. It's a Depression-era recipe where you didn't waste anything. In this recipe, a ham bone and leftover ham are used. The beans are tender perfection. Pieces of ham add a bit of heartiness to the dish and are a nice complement to the Great Northern beans. We served ours with hot, buttered cornbread but hot rolls would be equally as good. Season with your heart when making this recipe. We just added a little salt and pepper at the end when tasting.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(7 ratings)
yield 10 serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 2 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For old-fashioned ham and beans

  • 1 lb
    Great Northern beans, soaked overnight and drained
  • 1/2 lb
    cooked ham meat, shredded or cubed
  • 1
    ham bone with some meat left on it
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar
  • 1 sm
    onion, chopped fine
  • 1/2 tsp
    garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp
    pepper
  • water to cover all

How To Make old-fashioned ham and beans

Test Kitchen Tips
If you're using leftover glazed ham, you may want to cut back on the brown sugar. For testing, we used a smoked ham hock and a ham steak because we didn't have leftover ham.
  • Soaking Great Northern beans.
    1
    Soak the beans overnight and drain.
  • Beans, ham, ham bone, brown sugar, onion, garlic salt, black pepper, and water in a pot.
    2
    Combine the soaked and drained beans, ham, ham bone, brown sugar, onion, garlic salt, and black pepper in a soup kettle. Pour enough water into the kettle to cover the mixture by about 2 inches.
  • Simmering the ham and beans.
    3
    Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are done and the mixture has blended flavors well.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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