Bean And Potato Soup With Ham and Bacon
Bean and potato soup with ham and bacon will warm you up when the weather turns cooler. For me, it’s always soup weather. I love how a big bowl of piping hot soup can warm you up the whole evening. Homemade soups are rich in vitamins from fresh vegetables and nutritious broth.
Bean and potato soup packs a punch with peppers, onions, carrots, lemon juice, and some great seasonings. This soup is filled with the perfect bite-sized pieces that will have you coming back for seconds.

What kinds of beans work best for soup? Most varieties of white beans work well- select from cannellini beans, navy beans, or northern beans. Even baby lima beans would work.
Northern beans are my favorite because they tend to hold their shape while cooking. They are an ideal choice for many soups and for making baked beans.
Ingredients in Bean and Potato Soup with Ham and Bacon
- 2 small onions, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks cut lengthwise and diced
- 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 pint-sized jars of home-canned northern beans
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 4 cups homemade broth
- 2 cups of water
- 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 heaping cup of diced ham
- 1/2 cup of pre-cooked, chopped bacon
- Seasonings
To thicken this delicious soup, I like to add in a cornstarch slurry. Measure out 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix with 3-4 tablespoons of cold or cool water until well dissolved. Slowly add to the soup stirring constantly.
The Beans in Bean and Potato Soup with Ham and Bacon
Northern Beans are the answer to my soup prayers. You can buy them dry home can (see here how I do that) or you can buy the canned variety. For this soup, I chose to go with two pint-sized cans of home-canned northern beans. The taste of northern beans is mild and slightly nutty and as mentioned above, they hold their shape really well.

If using store-bought beans, pop them open and give your beans a good rinse. Washing your beans improves the flavor and texture while also reducing the amount of sodium and starch in your final product. The extra liquid could also alter your recipe, so unless advised not to, go ahead and wash your beans. After a good rinse, set them aside to add in later. Home canned can be poured right in.
Mirepoix
Mirepoix (French word pronounced mirh-pwah) is a flavor profile made from diced vegetables. It is traditionally a mix of onions, carrots, and celery. I love to add bell pepper to this combination. This is a common base for soups and stews.


Veggies should be chopped to roughly the same size. To chop the celery, I like to cut it in half lengthwise and then into smaller pieces, the same with the carrots. You can use any color of bell pepper you like, I prefer green or yellow for a bit of crispness. And if you like a bit of spice add a jalapeno or two.
Sauté the vegetables
Start with your dutch oven or any heavy bottom pan and melt four tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add your mirepoix and stir in a dash of salt. The salt will help release the moisture in the vegetables which evaporates as steam. This allows them to begin browning and develop a wonderful flavor. I let them cook for eight to ten minutes stirring every couple minutes or so.


Create A Flavor Profile With Seasonings
While the vegetables are sautéing add your seasonings. For almost all my soups, to build up the flavor profile, I love to add herbs de Provence. It is a unique blend of dried herbs that adds such an impact in terms of taste.
Herbs de Provence is an aromatic and flavorful blend of thyme, marjoram, savory, rosemary, basil, sage & lavender. It is a great addition to soups, chicken pot pies, meat roasts, or anything else you like to add herbs to.
As far as other seasonings go, I add about a 1/4 to a 1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper, coriander, and curry. For the salt, I wait until the end when I am tasting it. It is much easier to add more than to have too much. The broth and the ham and bacon all bring saltiness to the soup so best to taste it after all the additions to see if you need more.

Dice Up Some Potatoes

Dice up some potatoes into bite-sized pieces about one inch by one inch. Yukon golds are perfect in this soup because they are soft, and buttery and hold their shape relatively well.
The peels are also good to eat, just be sure to scrub them clean. Add them to the veggies and stir around for a couple of minutes.
Ready The Meats
For my bean and potato soup, I like to add diced-up ham pieces and crumbled pre-cooked bacon. Having pre-cooked bacon on hand is a great way to be able to add it to soups, breakfast dishes, or salads. Check out my post on how I keep a lot of meats ready to go by cooking and freezing them. For the ham, keep it in bite-sized pieces.


Building The Soup Layers
After the vegetables and potatoes have been properly seasoned, stir in two tablespoons of flour. This will act as a thickening agent for your soup. Stir that around for a minute or two to cook the raw flour taste out.

Next, add your four cups of homemade broth. I used homemade veggie broth (see here how I made it), but you could use chicken stock, bone broth, or any store-bought variety. Be careful with the sodium levels with store-bought broths. You can purchase low sodium but make sure to taste test before adding additional salt.

Add back in the beans and top them with one heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. Adding just a touch of sweetness really enhances the whole flavor of the soup. What can you add for even more flavor? An acid, like lemon or lime juice, or even apple cider vinegar is a must for the overall flavor. I used the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Adding some sort of acidic element brightens the whole dish.
Cover and simmer your soup for 20 minutes before you add the meat.
Adding The Additional Ingredients
After simmering for 20 minutes you can add in your ham and bacon. Letting the other veggies cook first ensures the potato is cooked through. Give the whole thing a really good stir. Cover again and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Wrapping Up Bean And Potato Soup With Ham And Bacon
After the allotted cooking time uncover and serve hot. This soup has all the vitamins and minerals you need to boost your immune system and leave your belly happy and full. You can store leftover soup in the refrigerator for a couple of days or portion it out and freeze it for later. Serve the soup with my no knead dinner rolls for the perfect accompaniment.

I hope you enjoyed this posting as much as I did eating that bowl of soup. Let me know if you tried it in the comments below or tell me what your favorite soup is!
Cheers,
Sarah
Bean And Potato Soup With Bacon And Ham Recipe
Bean And Potato Soup With Bacon And Ham

Bean and potato soup with ham and bacon delivers the flavor with peppers, onions, carrots, lemon juice and some great seasonings
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, cut lengthwise and diced
- 4 medium yukon gold potatoes
- 2 pint size jars of home canned northern beans
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 4 cups homemade broth
- 2 cups of water
- 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 heaping cup of diced ham
- 1/2 cup of pre-cooked, chopped bacon
- 1/2 teaspoon of coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon of Herbs de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon of curry
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Cornstarch Slurry - 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons of cold water.
Instructions
- Chop the onions, carrots, celery and bell pepper into to 1/2 inch pieces.
- Melt butter in dutch oven and add veggies. Sauté 8-10 minutes.
- Season with all the seasonings except the salt (taste and add at the end).
- Add in diced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the veggie stock and water.
- Drain and rinse the northern beans and add them to the pot.
- Add in a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar and the lemon juice.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes
- While that simmers dice up the ham and crumble the precooked bacon. After that 20 minutes add the meats to the soup. Cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
- Taste to see if you need additional salt.
- Serve hot with your favorite rolls.
Notes
Add any type of peppers you like. Jalapenos would be great.
Ham hocks or ham shanks are delicious in this soup.
If using a different variety of potatoes you might want to peel them.
Any white bean would work but the texture and taste may vary.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days
Freeze in freezer storage bags for up to 6 months.
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This looks delicious!! Love soup and bread of some kind.
I’m going to make it!