Easy crockpot beans with ham
Well, another Christmas has passed and another ham dinner is under the belt (I may have loosened the belt a bit to get it under there!) And that means extra ham as well as my beloved ham bone. I always save the bone to use in cooking, especially beans.
This recipe is quite a lot like my Creamy Ham and Beans recipe, which is made on the stove top. That one does tend to get a little thicker because it evaporates a bit out of the pan, and crock pots tend to retain water. But either way is good. There is also a slight difference with the celery, but no biggie either way.
I also have another Crock Pot Ham and Beans recipe which uses a bit of cloves in it. I enjoy that, since for many years the ham I used was holiday ham that had clove seasoning. To reproduce it if I didn’t have that kind of ham on hand cloves were necessary. I the thought of cloves in beans may make some people nervous, but it does work. There are so many ways to do the beans I could try a different one every day of the year and not return to the beginning. But these types of recipes are my favorites, made with a simple mirepoix and thyme. The beans are quite flavorful and go very well with a piece of fresh cornbread.
Easy crockpot beans with ham
Serves 8
1 pound white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, etc.) soaked overnight in cold water and drained
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup chopped celery leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
5 crushed cloves garlic
1 ham bone
1-1/2 pounds chopped smoked ham
2 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
Place in crockpot, cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, adding chopped smoked ham during the last hour.
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