old-fashioned ham and beans

Name: Old Fashioned Ham and Beans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound(s) Great Northern beans, soaked overnight and drained; 1/2 pound(s) cooked ham meat, shredded or cubed; 1 - ham bone with some meat left on it; 1/2 cup(s) brown sugar; 1 small onion, chopped fine; 1/2 teaspoon(s) garlic salt; 1/2 teaspoon(s) pepper; - water to cover all

(7 RATINGS)

1.47K Pinches 5 Photos

Kathie Carr

North Liberty, IN

Updated on Oct 29, 2025

Grandma always made bean soup in the week after Easter with the leftover ham bone and meat.

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Old-Fashioned Ham and Beans in a bowl with buttered cornbread.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Very simple ingredients are used to make these old-fashioned ham and beans. It's a Depression-era recipe where you didn't waste anything. In this recipe, a ham bone and leftover ham are used. The beans are tender perfection. Pieces of ham add a bit of heartiness to the dish and are a nice complement to the Great Northern beans. We served ours with hot, buttered cornbread but hot rolls would be equally as good. Season with your heart when making this recipe. We just added a little salt and pepper at the end when tasting.

— The Test Kitchen

prep time 20 Min

cook time 2 Hr

method Stove Top

yield 10 serving(s)

Ingredients

1 pound Great Northern beans, soaked overnight and drained
1/2 pound cooked ham meat, shredded or cubed
1 - ham bone with some meat left on it
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
- water to cover all

How To Make old-fashioned ham and beans

Test Kitchen Tips

If you're using leftover glazed ham, you may want to cut back on the brown sugar. For testing, we used a smoked ham hock and a ham steak because we didn't have leftover ham.

Step 1

Soak the beans overnight and drain.

Step 2

Combine the soaked and drained beans, ham, ham bone, brown sugar, onion, garlic salt, and black pepper in a soup kettle. Pour enough water into the kettle to cover the mixture by about 2 inches.
Step 3

Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are done and the mixture has blended flavors well.
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Nutrition Facts

(per serving*)

calories: 166kcal, carbohydrates: 47g, cholesterol: 1mg, fat: 3g, fiber: 18g, protein: 9g, saturated fat: 1g, sodium: 190mg, sugar: 10g, unsaturated fat: 2g

*Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is estimated.

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