1-Step 1: Prepare Your Vegetables Before you begin cooking, dice your onion, celery, and carrots into uniform pieces about the size of a kernel of corn. This ensures even cooking and a pleasant texture in the finished soup. Mince your garlic cloves and have your Italian seasoning measured and ready. This preparation stage, called mise en place, makes the actual cooking much smoother.

2-Step 2: Sauté the Aromatic Base Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, carrots, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning all at once. Sauté this mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent and the vegetables begin to soften. The kitchen will start smelling wonderful at this point!

3-Step 3: Build the Soup Base Pour in your liquid – either 8 cups of water or the combination of 4 cups water and 4 cups chicken broth for extra richness. Drop in the 2 bay leaves. If you’re using a ham hock or ham bone, add it now. This is where the magic happens, as the ham bone releases its smoky, savory essence into the broth. Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat, then cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. If using a ham hock or bone, lean toward the longer end to extract maximum flavor. According to cooking experts, this simmering step is crucial for developing the deep, layered flavors that make ham and bean soup so satisfying.

4-Step 4: Add Ham and Beans Remove the lid and add your chopped cooked ham pieces and the drained, rinsed beans. For a creamier, thicker soup, mash about 1 cup of the beans with a fork or potato masher before adding them to the pot. This simple technique releases starches that naturally thicken the broth without any added thickeners. Let the soup simmer uncovered for 10 to 30+ minutes. The longer you simmer, the more the flavors will develop and the thicker your soup will become. This is a forgiving step – you can simmer longer if you have time, or keep it shorter when you’re in a hurry.

5-Step 5: Finish and Season Remove the ham hock or ham bone and discard the bay leaves. If there’s any meat remaining on the ham bone, pull it off and return it to the pot. Stir in the fresh baby spinach (or kale) and watch it wilt beautifully within a minute or two. Add the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, which might seem like an unusual addition but trust me – it brightens all the flavors and cuts through the richness of the ham. Finally, taste your soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.

6-Step 6: Serve and Store Ladle your finished ham and bean soup into bowls and serve hot. A slice of crusty bread on the side makes this a complete, satisfying meal. Any leftovers should be cooled completely and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This recipe yields approximately 8-10 servings, making it perfect for feeding a crowd or enjoying throughout the week. The flavors actually improve after a day in the refrigerator, so don’t be surprised if leftovers taste even better!