Ham & Beans

A tried and true recipe for dried butterbeans and ham cooked stove-top or crock pot  that is delicious served as a hearty soup or over rice.

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One memory that stands out about eating dried butterbeans and ham is time one of my little girlfriends came to spend the night at my house.

We were probably 7-8 years old and Daphne had come for a sleepover for the first time ever. SQUEEEEE!!   Mama called us to supper and had a big pot of ham & beans on the table with bowls full of rice already in them.

Daphne was mortally shy and, even through my eyes, it was obvious she had never seen such a meal and was mortified she would have to eat it. She never said an impolite word or hesitated. She just grabbed her spoon.

Well, that skinny little child fell on that bowl of beans and rice and never came up for air. She ate and she ate and she ate and I remember Daddy trying to gently coax her away from the table after about the third bowl.

We all remember that day and Daddy laughs and said he was concerned she would be in a world of pain later if he let her keep eating so many dried beans.

Decades later, Daphne still talks about how good that supper was!

I think just about every part of the US has some dish made with ham (or perhaps sausage) and some sort of dried bean. Where I’m from, we usually like to use dried butter beans. I grew up eating these served over rice but you can serve it like a soup too.

Through the years we also discovered the Cajun 15 Bean Soup beans and love to use those beans and seasoning packet to make Cajun Ham & Beans too. Maybe even more so than our old beloved dried butterbeans. But sometimes I get a craving for the simpler, original recipe we used to make too.

Whichever beans you like best, be sure to serve with a hot pan of cornbread  - this Jiffy and Duke's Mayo recipe is my favorite - and diced white onions to sprinkle on top!

Recipe for Ham Beans

Ham & Beans

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourInactive time: 20 MinTotal time: 3 H & 30 M

A tried and true recipe for dried butterbeans and ham that is delicious served over rice or on its own. Instructions for stove-top or crock pot (slow cooker).

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried small butter beans
• 1 ham bone with trimmings
• 5 cups water
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Stove-Top Preparation:

1. Rinse beans per package instructions then add to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add ham bone, water, onion, garlic and pepper then bring to a boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, then simmer for 2 hours. Remove ham bone then set aside to cool a bit.
3. Add salt then continue cooking beans 1-2 hours more or until tender.
4. When ham is cool enough to handle, trim/chop ham from the bone then add ham pieces to beans during final cook time. Add more water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
5. Taste for seasoning then add more salt and spices if needed. Remove from heat then let beans rest, uncovered, 20-25 minutes.
6. Serve over rice or on their own.

Crock Pot Preparation:

1. Rinse beans per package instructions then add to a large slow cooker. Add ham bone, water, onion, garlic and pepper then cook on High for 4 hours.
2. Remove ham bone then set aside to cool a bit.
3. Add salt then continue cooking beans until tender; approximately 2-4 hours on High or 3-5 hours on Low.
4. When ham is cool enough to handle, trim/chop ham from the bone then add ham pieces to beans during final cook time. Add more water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
5. Taste for seasoning then add more salt and spices if needed. Turn off heat then let beans rest, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.
6. Serve over rice or on their own.

Notes

• We always use the small dried butter beans but feel free to use any dried beans. A lot of folks use the big butter beans (the “45s”) or great northern beans.
• I use white pepper in these because they cook up so creamy I like to keep things light but you can absolutely substitute with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2014/10/ham-and-beans.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth 2014

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