This Crock Pot Ham, Green Beans, and Potato Soup recipe is effortless and flavor-packed, ideal for busy families who want a delicious and nutritious meal! Savory ham, fresh green beans, and hearty potatoes are slow-cooked to perfection with spices in a rich broth. Enjoy a wholesome, home-cooked meal with minimal hands-on preparation and easy cleanup!
Why You’ll Love this Ham Green Beans and Potatoes Recipe:
- Easy Prep: This easy ham, green beans, and potatoes recipe requires minimal preparation effort. Simply chop and toss the ingredients into your trusty crock pot and ta-dah – a tasty no-fuss meal!
- Flavorful & Nutritious: The combination of savory ham, tender green beans, and hearty potatoes is a comforting and nutritionally dense meal that will satisfy your taste buds and leave you feeling full.
- Versatile & Family-Friendly: This green beans and ham recipe is a hit for all ages and can be easily customized to suit dietary preferences or restrictions. Add your favorite spices and veggies to make it your own!
- Uses up leftovers: You can always get ham just for this recipe, but it’s a great way to use that leftover spiral ham after a holiday, creating a ham broth with the bone along the way.
Let’s get started! Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:
Ham - Leftover spiral ham or ham steaks work best to add a savory, smoky flavor, and provide a rich source of protein to the green beans and potatoes in the crock pot. You can substitute turkey for a leaner option or smoked sausage for a different flavor variation.
Green Beans - Fresh or frozen green beans add a delicious earthy flavor and burst of color to the dish. You can also use canned, drained green beans in a pinch.
Red Potatoes - This type of potato is perfect for slow cooking. They retain their shape and absorb all the tasty flavors while providing a creamy buttery texture. For a slightly different flavor, use Yukon gold potatoes or even russet potatoes as alternatives.
Onion - Choose a large yellow or white onion to add a light sweetness and depth of flavor to your Crockpot ham, green beans, and potatoes. Or substitute with shallots for a milder flavor or red onions for a sharp sweetness.
Water: Liquid is essential for slow cooking to create a flavorful broth that keeps the green beans, ham, and potatoes moist. Use water, a low-sodium chicken broth for a more robust flavor, or a bone broth for added richness.
Ham Bone: Adding a ham bone to the crock pot enriches the broth with a deep, meaty flavor and extra nutrition. Save the bone from the spiral ham if using, swap in a ham hock or three, or use a good quality chicken stock.
Garlic Powder: Infuses the dish with a warming, garlicky flavor. For a more pronounced flavor, you can use fresh minced garlic.
Sea Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the ham, beans, and potatoes. Since ham has quite a bit of salt in it we don’t need much additional salt in this dish.
Black Pepper: Adds a mild heat and complexity to the dish. You can use pre-ground pepper, or for stronger flavor use a peppermill to grind black peppercorns.
Equipment
Crock Pot or Slow Cooker - Choose a crock pot with at least a 6-quart capacity so there is plenty of room for the ingredients to cook evenly. This is an essential tool for this recipe, simplifying the cooking process and helping the flavors of the ham, potatoes, and green beans deliciously meld over time.
Knife & Cutting Board - You will need a cooking knife and a cutting board to prepare the ham, onion, potatoes, and green beans.
How to Make Ham Green Beans and Potatoes
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Dice the ham, onion, and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If using fresh green beans, go ahead and trim those as well. Set aside.
Step 2: Layer Crock Pot
Pour the water or chicken stock into the slow cooker. If you are using leftover ham bone or ham hocks, add that to the bottom of the slow cooker first. Then add the onions, chopped ham, and potatoes first. Lastly place your fresh or frozen green beans on top of the other ingredients in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Add Seasonings
Sprinkle the garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper evenly over the green beans.
Step 4: Slow Cook!
Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
After cooking remove the ham bone, which will give you more room to stir and serve.
Recipe Success Tips
- Use fresh potatoes. For the best taste and texture, use fresh potatoes, and either fresh or frozen green beans and ham. If you use canned green beans, add them in the last hour of cooking to prevent them from becoming too soggy.
- If using water, make it cold: Warm water often goes through a softener or other home treatment system and can pick up more minerals from your pipes- cold tap water is best for cooking.
- Cut ingredients uniformly. Chop the potatoes ham and green beans into bite-sized pieces so everything cooks evenly. Smaller pieces will also cook faster.
- Properly layer the ingredients. Place the denser ingredients at the bottom of the crockpot first. This helps ensure even cooking and allows the flavors to meld together best.
- Don’t overfill the crockpot. Make sure your lid seats fully on the rim of your ceramic insert. If the lid is ajar the contents may not cook properly.
- Cook low and slow. If you have the time, cook on low for 8 hours for the most flavorful dish. However, cooking on high for 4 hours is a great option if you are short on time.
- Let it rest. After cooking and stirring, let the crockpot ham, green beans, and potatoes sit for at least 15 minutes with the lid off to allow the flavors to settle and cool.
Serving Suggestions:
Ham and green beans in the crock pot with potatoes is already a complete meal, but you might want something more for variety or to stretch the servings for a larger crowd. Pair it with a simple green salad, crusty bread, or other side dishes like some of the recipes below.
- My Shortcut Focaccia Bread
- My Air Fryer Zucchini & Squash
- Chelsea's Arugula Apricot Salad
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Allow your ham and green bean soup to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 2-3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat refrigerated leftovers in the microwave for 1-2 minute increments or on the stovetop over medium heat with a splash of water or broth until warmed. For best results thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
FAQs
If you prefer a thicker broth for this ham and green beans crock pot recipe, mash some of the cooked potatoes directly in the crock pot. Or create a slurry with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal amounts of water until smooth, and stir it into the crock pot about 30 minutes before you want to eat.
Yes, you can make a vegetarian version of this ham and string beans recipe by omitting the ham and using vegetable stock instead of water or chicken broth. Add more vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and celery for additional flavor and texture.
If you don’t have a ham bone to add, no worries! Use ham hocks or omit the bone altogether and use chicken stock instead of water.
Sure thing! Add all of the ingredients to a large pot instead of the slow cooker, and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 1 hour.
More Easy Dinners in Your Slow Cooker
- Easy Slow Cooker Honey Maple Glazed Turkey Breast
- Slow Cooker Tri-Tip Roast With Carrots & Onions
- Crockpot Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
- Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms and Onions
Need even more ideas? Here are over 30 Dump and Go Slow Cooker Meals.
Enjoy!
I hope you love this comforting and easy meal. If you enjoy it be sure to come back and leave a review, I love hearing how it went for you!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Ham, Green Bean, and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ham leftover spiral or ham steaks
- 12 oz green beans fresh or frozen preferred
- 24 oz red potatoes
- 1 ea large onion
- 6 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 ea ham bone or ham hock
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If you have a leftover ham bone or ham hocks, add that and water to the bottom of your slow cooker. Otherwise, substitute a broth or stock.
- Dice ham, onion, and potatoes into bite size pieces. Add them to the crock pot.
- If using fresh green beans, trim and cut them to bite sized. Add green beans and seasonings on top of the other ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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