Hearty Ham Red Bean (Printable)

Smoky ham and creamy red beans meld with Cajun spices in this rich, comforting dish.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone
02 - 8 ounces diced smoked ham

→ Beans

03 - 1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight and drained

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
10 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

→ Liquids

11 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock or water

→ Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust to taste
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
17 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
18 - 1/2 teaspoon white pepper optional
19 - 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce optional

→ Accompaniment

20 - Cooked long-grain white rice for serving

# Steps:

01 - In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until the aroma becomes pronounced.
03 - Add the soaked and drained red beans, smoked ham hock, diced ham, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, black pepper, white pepper if using, and salt. Stir thoroughly to distribute seasonings evenly.
04 - Pour in the chicken stock or water and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
05 - After 1 hour of simmering, check the beans for tenderness. Continue simmering until the beans are creamy and the meat is falling off the bone, approximately 1 additional hour.
06 - Remove the ham hock from the pot. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the soup. Discard the bone and excess fat.
07 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, or hot sauce according to preference.
08 - Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls over cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It actually tastes like someone's grandmother spent hours perfecting it, but you'll have it ready in under three hours.
  • The leftovers taste dramatically better the next day, which means you get two great meals from one pot.
  • Gluten-free by nature and naturally creamy without cream—the beans do all the heavy lifting.
02 -
  • Don't skip soaking the beans overnight—I learned this the hard way when I tried a quick boil method and ended up with hard, unevenly cooked beans after two hours.
  • If your soup feels too thin at the end, you can mash a handful of beans against the side of the pot to release their starch and thicken it naturally without adding flour.
03 -
  • Use a ham hock from the butcher counter rather than pre-packaged ones—the meat is better quality and cooks down more flavorfully.
  • Taste as you go during the final 20 minutes of simmering, since the salt from the ham concentrates as liquid reduces, and you might need less added salt than the recipe suggests.
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