Spend a morning canning ham and bean soup and have jars of ready made meals quickly at hand.
The great thing about canning soup at home is that it can be customized for your family’s tastes and full of ingredients you can feel good about serving.
Pressure Canned
This must be pressure canned. Do not try to can this in a water bath process, it simply is not safe for low acid meats and vegetables. Please don’t try.
The trick to canning soup at home is just that you process the jars for the thing that takes the longest amount of time. Carrots for example only take 30 minutes but beans and ham take 90 minutes for quarts.
Remember to adjust the pressure for your elevation!
There are very few tested recipes for using ham in canning. However, there are a few. This recipe is based on a tested recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving for split pea soup.
Soak & Boil Dried Beans First
Soak those dried beans overnight. This is the best way to keep them more easily digested for everyone.
The beans should be drained and then boiled in fresh water for 30 minutes prior to packing jars.
Broth Choices
Choices for broth are fairly unlimited here. Use whatever is your favorite. Bring the liquid to a boil for filling the jars.
- You can use the liquid from boiling the beans.
- Chicken or ham broth works wonderfully.
- Tomato juice will work if that’s a favorite.
- A combination of the bean liquid and tomato juice is quite tasty.
Bean Options
I usually go with navy beans for ham and bean soup but any dried bean would work. Go with your favorite. Simply remember to soak them the night before you can.
Vegetable Additions
You can add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, etc. as you prefer. These can be raw packed or added to the broth and cooked a bit first, if desired. Out of general laziness and ease I usually go for raw pack.
Easily Scalable
The recipe can easily be adjusted for more or less based on ingredients you have on hand. This is a great way to use up leftover ham and so you can scale up or down based on that as a starting point.
Can in either pint or quart jars as desired.
Filling the Jars
To fill the jars, you can add all the ingredients to the bean pot while the beans are cooking. Then fill each jar about three-fourths of the way with solids and then the rest of the way with the cooking broth.
You could also layer the beans, then the ham, then the veggies. I personally leave a good bit of space that I have plenty of broth.
Then, fill the jars with the boiling broth liquid leaving 1 inch headspace. Then remove air bubbles, wipe rims, add lids, rings, and can.
How to Use Canned Ham & Bean Soup
Simply dump the jar into a pot and bring to a simmer. Add seasoning and serve hot.
You could pack the boiled soup in a thermal container for packed lunches.
Add more vegetables or broth when reheating for a bigger meal and serve with bread and salad for a filling meal.
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Canning Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put the dried beans into a pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Cover and let sit overnight.
- Drain the water from the beans. Put the beans back into the pot. Cover with at least 2 inches of fresh water.
- Bring the beans to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the veggies and ham.
- Bring the broth to a boil.
- Fill the jars with equal amounts of beans, ham, and carrots.
- Top the jars with boiling broth and bean liquid leaving 1 inch headspace in each jar.
- Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims. Place lids and rings.
- Put the jars into pressure canner. Follow the instructions for your canner model.
- Process at 10 pounds of pressure (adjusting for elevation). Process quarts for 90 minutes. Pints can be processed for 75 minutes.
Nutrition
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Other Ways to Use Dried Beans
Dried beans are a great way to stretch a meal and save money in the kitchen. We’ve gathered up over 20 fantastic, tried and true, dried bean recipes that cover everything from breakfast to dessert to get you started.
Recipe Source
Split Pea Soup. In: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. Rubbermaid, Inc. Edition 38. 20234 Page 135.
Can you add onion to this?
Sure can! The length of time you’re running the canner for the ham and beans covers the correct time for canning onions too.
Have you tried it without soaking the beans?
Hi Ruth. No, we haven’t. Current recommendations are to soak all dried legumes, except lentils and split peas, before canning.
Can I can a pot of leftover fully cooked bean and ham soup and would the already cooked beans get too mushy?
If it’s fully cooked already, I would think the beans would get mushy after being in the pressure canner. I would freeze it instead.
I was wondering this same thing, I we were to can the left overs how much time would be needed? Still the same amount of time as raw?
Whenever you can anything with dry beans or meat in it the processing time for quarts is 90 minutes and 75 minutes for pints.
@Sona Henderson, actually cooking at 30 minutes the beans are not done and i have used this method often and no mushy beans.
Would it be possible to leave out the carrots or does this mess with the composition of it all?
You can leave the carrots out. Add more beans instead if you’d like.
Yes, you can leave out the carrot and it will be just fine. Just use the same number of jars.
@Brittainy, yes you can leave out carrots and continue with rest of directions..
Thanks for this recipe. How many quart jars does this recipe typically fill?
3 Quarts
How many pints would you be able to make with the one cup of beans?
Since this recipe makes 3 quarts, it would also make 6 pints.
Hello
So that you don’t have mushy carrots can you just can beans and ham only.
And when ready to use cook the carrot ,celery ,onion and then add the beans and
ham. ?
Thank you Lynn
Yes, you can leave the carrots out of the recipe and add them when you serve it.
Does the finished product need to be refrigerated? How long does it last?
No, after processing in a pressure canner the jars are shelf stable until opened.
I like to use a pre-packaged dry seasoning kit by Zatarans to season my ham and bean soup. Can I add the seasoning to my canning broth to hydrate/dissolve and then add to my jars before processing?
We have never used that seasoning so we can speak to whether it’s safe or not.
I’ve been told that according to the USDA Home Canning Guidelines that it’s not safe to can ham and bacon because they are uncured meats. So I’m curious about the safety of you you canning this soup. I’m new to canning, so Im just trying to figure out and learn all the rules to safely can food.
Ball has published recipes canning ham. We are following their lead and recommended times / pressure for processing
I Have been looking for ra recipe just like this. I have pondered about it for a while.
After USDA and county extension office
Recommended ham was not safe to use.
Ham is completely safe right? Thank you!
Ball has published recipes canning ham. We are following their lead and recommended times / pressure for processing
Is it safe to can ham? USDA and county
Extension offices does not recommend
It. What are your thoughts?
Ball has published recipes canning ham. We are following their lead and recommended times / pressure for processing.
I made wonderful ham and bean soup but have leftovers and my freezer is pretty full. Can I pressure cook this soup for a shorter time for longer shelf life
You cannot process for a shorter time. You must process it for 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts. There’s no wiggle room on the time or pressure.
What is the amount of beans you would put in a pint jar? Are there measurements?
Use a slotted spoon and divide the solids into each jar, then top off with liquid. This will ensure you have about the same amount of beans and ham in each jar.