Ham and Lima Bean Soup (Print View)

Tender ham and creamy lima beans combine with fresh vegetables for a warm, hearty dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 2 cups cooked ham, diced

→ Beans

02 - 2 cups dried lima beans, soaked overnight and drained

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
11 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Method:

01 - Rinse and drain the soaked lima beans thoroughly.
02 - Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add ham, lima beans, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil.
05 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender.
06 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's naturally gluten-free and packed with protein, so you feel full and genuinely nourished, not just satisfied.
  • The whole pot comes together in one vessel, which means minimal cleanup and maximum coziness on a weeknight.
  • Ham and lima beans create this unexpectedly rich depth that tastes like you've been stirring it for hours, even though you haven't.
02 -
  • Don't skip soaking the lima beans overnight—I made that mistake once and ended up with a pot of crunchy beans three hours later, a humbling reminder that some shortcuts just aren't worth taking.
  • The bay leaf needs to come out before serving; I've eaten it by accident and it's a weird, papery sensation that completely derails an otherwise perfect spoonful.
03 -
  • Dice your ham into roughly uniform pieces so it heats through evenly and distributes flavor throughout the pot instead of clumping up in certain spots.
  • If you forget to soak your beans, you can do a quick soak: cover them with water, bring to a boil, let sit for one hour, then drain and proceed—it's not quite as good as overnight soaking, but it works.
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