This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy to learn more.
Slow Cooker Bean Soup is a hearty and filling meal, perfect for a cold snowy day, or any day that you don’t feel like using the oven.
When using my slow cooker, I almost always use a liner to make it easier to clean up afterward. I get the Reynolds Slow Cooker bags on my monthly Subscribe and Save order from Amazon. They make cleaning up so much easier.
I failed to plan ahead and didn’t soak the beans last night, so I started them soaking with the quick soak method. Technically you don’t need to soak them when making them in the crockpot because of the long cooking time, but they are softer and easier to digest if soaked first.
Normally I would make this soup with a leftover ham bone, but I used that for a split pea soup a couple of weeks ago, My second choice is a boneless ham. To save money, I typically buy a 5-6 pound boneless ham from a local restaurant supply store that sells to the public. I cut it into 4 sections seal them with my Foodsaver, and freeze them for later use. As I am also out of boneless ham, I ended up using ham lunch meat in this soup. When you are living frugally you learn to adjust recipes to what you have on hand.
You can use powdered or canned broth in this recipe. I used half powdered and half canned.
Slow Cooker Bean Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 20 oz multi-bean soup mix (save the seasoning packet)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay Leaf
- 1 medium onion, diced (3/4 to 1 Cup)
- 3 medium carrots, diced (I used baby carrots to equal 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced (approx. 1 cup)
- 2 tsp minced Garlic
- 3 cups diced meat (Ham bone with ham to equal 3 cups, ham lunch or deli meat, smoked or polish sausage, turkey, chicken or bacon)
- 1 15 oz can Tomatoes, diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the beans, soak if you want but not necessary. Set aside the seasoning packet to add later.
- Place the beans, chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and ham(hambone if using) in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours, until beans are done.
- Take out the ham bone if using, and clean any remaining meat off of it to add just the meat back into the soup.
- Stir in the tomatoes, seasoning packet, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until heated through.
