Ham and Beans Soup (and 21 other leftover ham recipes) - Simple and Seasonal (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken ham and bean soup? ›

Step 2: Thicken the soup.

Sprinkle in flour then cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. The addition of flour to the Ham and Bean Soup will give it a nice velvety texture.

Cook It Longer

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

This ham and soup will stay good for 3-4 days in an airtight container stored in your fridge. You can definitely store your soup in the freezer if you'd like. You can store it either in a large airtight container, or in smaller individual containers. Thaw either in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat.

Just add acid! A small amount of an acidic ingredient like lemon juice added at the end of cooking brightens flavors, especially in long-simmered bean soups or rich meat-based soups. Start with a little bit of acid, taste and adjust, until your soup tastes balanced and bright.

Puree Some Vegetables

Another way to add thickness and flavor to your ham and bean soup is by pureeing some vegetables. This works well with cooked potatoes, carrots, or even a combination of both. Use a blender or immersion blender to puree the vegetables until smooth.

In a separate bowl, dissolve a teaspoon or two of cornstarch or all-purpose flour in a small amount of cold water. Add the slurry to the bubbling soup. The soup should thicken up.

Garlic and onions will bolster the taste of bean soup. Be sure to take a portion of the beans and mash or purée them for extra texture. Aromatics like celery or carrot will add more complex flavor notes. Despite being expensive, both mushrooms and Parmesan cheese will add some real umami (i.e., mouth feel) to the soup.

I absolutely do not like using corn starch for thickening soup, broth or gravy. Flour is my go-to for gravy because it builds the flavor, especially when using corn or cassava flour. After the beans are cooked, take 1/3 of the soup and blend it to a puree, then stir it back into the soup.

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half.

Information. Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or less and your freezer at or near 0 °F.

Can you eat soup that was 6 days old? ›

Soup lasts within the fridge for three to four days before you'll be able to throw it out. If you would like to store leftover soup longer than three to four days, you'll be able to keep it within the deep freezer for three to six months.

Is Ham Bad for Dogs? Ham is not toxic to dogs, but it's also not a healthy treat for them. So if your pup eats a little piece that fell to the floor, they should be totally fine. But feeding ham to your dog as a regular snack can cause some long-term health issues.

We use ingredients that help ease bean digestion. Onions, garlic and cumin help – but the star ingredient? Apple cider vinegar, which breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion.

If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings.

Rice, lentils, and beans release a lot of starch and naturally thicken soups simply from simmering, but you can also mash half the cooked rice/lentils/beans before adding to the soup for a simple way to thicken your dish. Alternatively, blend half or all of the soup for a smoother texture.

One way to thicken a stew without flour is to add some cooked rice or quinoa. Another option is to puree some of the vegetables in the stew to thicken it. To thicken a stew without flour, some recipes call for using a thickener such as arrowroot starch or almond flour.

Use starches to thicken beans

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.

"Reducing" simply means simmering a liquid long enough to evaporate the extra water, concentrating the flavors and thickening the dish. Remove large pieces of meat or vegetables from the liquid before reducing so they don't overcook. Sauces, broths and pureed soups can simply simmer as-is.