Slow Cooker Ham and Northern Beans is an all around family favorite during the winter months. Actually, we pretty much eat it year round.
The smokiness of the ham pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the white beans. And served up with homemade cornbread, you just can’t beat it!
For so many years, I served my family baked ham dinners and threw away the ham bone. Now I’m kicking myself. To think I could’ve been serving up this delicious comfort food all along!
If you don’t have a left over ham bone, no worries. You can buy ham hocks at the grocery store from the meat counter.
I first stumbled across this recipe when my cousin brought it to a Christmas Eve potluck. Hubs loved it and as it turns out, so did the rest of the family.
This is such an easy, no fuss dinner. Just throw all the ingredients in the pot, cover with water and cook slow. Voila!
After your beans cook for awhile, you may need to add in more water. Use common sense and eye it and it should turn out fine. Keep in mind that it should be the consistency you see in the image above and possibly creamier, but not necessarily thicker. Make sense?
I us this >Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker, but any 6-7 quart slow cooker will work.
This is the perfect recipe for using up leftover holiday ham! You might also like my Ham and Potato Casserole!
Need to speed things up?
You can cut the cook time for this recipe in half by starting Ham and Northern Beans on the stovetop. Place the ham bone with picked and rinsed beans in a large pot and fill with water. Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for one hour. Transfer content of the pot to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
How to Make Slow Cooker Ham and Northern Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- Ham bone with some ham still attached or ham hocks
- 2 lbs Northern Beans
- 1 small onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbs chipotle tabasco optional
Instructions
- Pick through beans to remove impurities and rinse.
- Place ham bone with meat attached in bottom of slow cooker.
- Pour dry beans on top.
- Add onion, garlic and salt. Add chipotle sauce if desired.
- Cover ham and beans with water, making sure the slow cooker is filled to within 3/4 inch of the top.
- Cover and cook on high for 8 hours.
- Stir and continue to cook on low for 4 hours. Stir occasionally to encourage creaminess.
- Cook on low for the rest of the day, stirring often to encourage creaminess.
- Serve ham and beans in bowls with cornbread on the side.