Ingredients
1 lb Great Northern beans (or navy/cannellini), sorted and soaked
8 cups chicken broth (homemade, boxed, or bouillon-based)
2 tbsp olive oil + butter (1 tbsp each)
1½ cups chopped onion
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
2 smoked neck bones (or 1 smoked ham hock)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed rosemary
½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground mustard
2 bay leaves
½ tsp black pepper
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
1 tomato, diced (optional)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt, to taste (add at the end only if needed)
Instructions
Step 1: Rinse and sort beans, removing debris or broken pieces. Soak them for 1 hour in hot water after bringing to a boil, then let sit off heat.
Step 2: In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil. Sauté onions until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add smoked neck bones and stir for 5 more minutes to release smoky flavor. Stir in garlic and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 4: Pour in chicken broth. Add all dried seasonings and bay leaves. Stir in soaked beans. Keep the neck bones buried under the beans for even cooking.
Step 5: Lower the heat and cover. Let the soup simmer gently (not boiling) for 2½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Remove neck bones, shred meat off bones, discard bones, and return chopped meat to the pot.
Step 7: Stir in cubed ham, optional diced tomato, and chopped parsley. Simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Step 8: Remove bay leaves. Serve hot with cornbread or crusty bread.
Notes
You can prep the broth ahead of time using bouillon to save time
Don’t skip the ground mustard—it pulls all the flavors together
If using canned beans, reduce the cook time and simmer for about 45 minutes
Leftovers taste even better the next day and freeze beautifully
Let me know if you’d like the instructions reformatted the same way!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop simmer
- Cuisine: American comfort food