This Ham and Bean Soup with Dumplings turns a leftover holiday ham bone into a hearty, smoky soup with bacon, vegetables, beans, and easy drop dumplings. It’s rich, comforting, and a great way to stretch leftovers into a completely different meal.
If you want something a little simpler without the dumplings, try my slow cooker version of Ham Bone Soup next.
And what ties the soup together and makes it stand out as something special is the addition of the egg-based drop dumplings you add in at the very end.
What's up with these dumplings in the ham bean, and bacon soup?
Growing up, my mom often made a delicious ham, bean and bacon soup with dumplings. This was the basis for this recipe. I remember us all digging through the pot as kids, trying to collect the most dumplings. They are THAT GOOD.
To make the dumplings, you will need:
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 whole beaten eggs,
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
Once that's all mixed into a thick goo, you'll just drop those bad boys off a spoon right into the soup. Do this at the very end of the cooking process.
What if I don't have a leftover ham bone?
If you don't have a leftover ham bone, you could use a ham hock or 2, or some salt pork. Both will work great as they slowly simmer in the broth and release their flavor.
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Ham and Bean Soup with Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 rib celery with leaves, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, sliced thinly
- 1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 strips bacon, chopped into ¼” pieces
- 2 cans 15.5 oz great northern beans, drained , (can also use cannelini beans)
- 1 smoked ham bone or ham hock
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 6 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 cube of chicken bouillon, or 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Dumplings
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, cook the bacon over low heat until the fat begins to render and bacon takes on a little color, about 6-7 minutes. We're not trying to crisp the bacon, just render the fat and get ti started.
- Add celery, onion, green pepper, and onion. Stir to combine with bacon and fat, season with salt and pepper and cook until veggies start to soften, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, and dry thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the ham bone, chicken stock, bouillon packet, water, tomato paste, vinegar and bay leaves. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 and a half hours.
- Remove ham bone and set on large cutting board to cool.
- Add the drained beans, cover and cook another 30 minutes.
- While the soup cooks, shredded any remaining ham off the bone with 2 forks and add to the stock pot with the soup.
- Make the dumplings. With a fork or spatula, mix all dumpling ingredients together to combine well. Mixture will be thick, but slightly wet. If mixture appears too wet, add more flour a little at a time to thicken slightly.
- After soup has simmered 30 minutes with beans, drop the dumplings in a bit at a time, rolling off of a small spoon with your fingers (dumplings should be somewhere between ½” to a ¼”).
- Stir to keep the dumplings from sticking, then cover and allow to cook 10 minutes more.
- Once dumplings are cooked through, the soup is ready to serve!
Nutrition
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