Major comfort in less than 30 minutes! Hearty enough to be a main dish stew but versatile enough for a Southern side dish.
During my Chicago years, hearty comforting stews and soups got me through those long winters as well as great soul and classic r&b music like Womack and Womack’s “Baby I’m Scared Of You” which would make any Chicago soul music playlist.
Many of you have asked me for Instant pot recipes, so here you have it. This is my first one, as I broke in my new Christmas present with this bean and ham hock recipe.
The recipe is basically a converted traditional stovetop recipe, so if you don’t have an Instant Pot, no problem as the directions are basically the same and transferrable.
I ain’t saying I was scared, but admittedly I was surprised by how simple it was to use as well as the intense flavor it produced. I guess my old school pressure cooker may now be a relic, marginalized by innovation.
White Beans and Ham Ingredients
This Instant Pot beans recipe is my take on a typical Provencal soup/beans recipe which features ingredients like ham, fresh herbs, and a medley of vegetables.
I simply remixed it soul food style by substituting ingredients common in soul food dishes like okra and ham hocks to accompany the white beans.
Many Provencal soup recipes call for bacon, but since I had some smoked ham hocks on hand I used them. The smokiness added an additional layer of flavor to go with the strong thyme essence and sweetness provided by the wine.
I went light on the broth (wine and vegetable stock) as I wanted more of a thicker bean dish vs. more soupy. This lends some itself to the white beans and vegetables really sticking out and being the hero.
However, if you prefer more of a soup consistency increasing the broth ingredients levels and cooking longer/slower gets you there.
How To Make Instant Pot Ham and Beans Soup?
Step 1: Saute vegetables
Step 2: Add spices to the vegetable mix
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients
Serving Suggestions
This dish is quite filling and probably only lacking some bread to sop up all the residue goodness left behind in your bowl. A good buttermilk cornbread or biscuit would be great!
Does this recipe work with other vegetables?
This is actually a base go-to recipe for me cause of its versatility. It works with a variety of different vegetables so depending on the season you can change things up to your liking. I’ve made this dish with other soul food staples like turnips, artichokes, sweet potatoes, etc.
Can I Use a different type of bean?
Black-eyed peas and pinto beans also make perfectly good substitutes for white beans in this recipe. Note, white beans do have their advantages and there are a few different varieties to choose from. But if you’re looking for a black-eyed peas recipe to cook for New Year’s just swap out the white beans.
- They absorb flavors extremely well so anything (herbs, wine, bacon, etc.) they get paired with gets pulled in
- They also break down pretty quickly when cooking which releases their creaminess in the form of starches right into the body of the soup
- Naturally high in protein and fiber
what about the okra, is it slimy?
Now when you’re cooking this dish it may be a good idea to keep family members out the kitchen. Ham hocks ain’t really all that familiar to a generation of folk and okra is always polarizing.
My crew has been socialized over time to be open to okra given the frequency in which I cook it but initially they were scared off by the slime factor. Don’t worry these okra are slime free, as it’s one of the benefits of cooking them in an instant pot.
The high pressure cooks the slime away, leaving you with tender, delicious okra.
instant pot ham and beans cooking tips
- Saute the vegetables first to release the flavors
- Add spices to the saute, as heat brings out their flavor more
- Cook the smoked ham hock whole or as big chunks and then after the dish is done, remove, cut into pieces and add back to the pot
- Have bread on hand as you’ll want to sop up any and all remains
For more comforting recipes with ham hocks you might like:
Smoked Ham Hocks w/ Whiskey and Cola Glaze
Gameday Pork Nachos w/ Ham Hocks
Brazilian Collard Greens w/ Shredded Ham Hocks
or for more comforting instant pot recipes check-out these:
Instant Pot Collard Greens and Smoked Brisket
Instant Pot Creole Cabbage and Sausage
Instant Pot Smoked Chicken and Okra Soup
Instant Pot Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
If you make this comforting ham and white bean stew, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated monthly playlists.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 smoked ham hocks
- 1 medium red onions diced
- 10 whole okra ends removed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 large carrot quartered and chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 large sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup cannellini beans (dried) soaked overnight
- 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Set instant pot settings to saute and add olive oil, onions, carrots, okra, and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes
- Add paprika, pepper, salt, allspice and saute for an additional minute
- Add beans, broth, water, wine, ham hock, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir well. Twist to lock the lid, and turn the valve to sealing. Cook at high pressure 40 minutes, and then let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
- Turn the valve to venting. Unlock lid, and remove ham hocks with tongs. Discard skin, bones and cartilage. Chop or shred ham and stir back into beans.
Notes
- For traditional stovetop cooking approach follow the same instructions using a large pot or dutch oven. It will just be a longer, slow simmer. Saute the vegetables on medium heat and then cook the beans covered on simmer for 40 minutes or more depending on the desired level of creaminess.
- For creamier beans, put a ladle or two of the beans into a small bowl, and mash with a potato masher or fork. Stir back into the pot.
- Saute the vegetables first to release the flavors
- Add spices to the saute, as heat brings out their flavor more
- Cook the smoked ham hock whole or as big chunks and then after the dish is done, remove, cut into pieces and add back to the pot
- Have bread on hand as you’ll want to sop up any and all remains
yum :))
Looks gorgeous!
Thank U!
I just loved it, I’m not only going to give it 5 stars. But, I’m going to share it with all my website’s followers on the social media. Thank you for giving me something useful to share it today!
Thank you so much! I’m working to get more instant pot recipes up on the site. Stay tuned
That looks incredibly easy to make and I cant believe how delicious the finished product looks! Yum!
Thank You! And yes it’s pretty tasty with little effort.
Yum! This was full of flavor and absolutely perfect for the chilly days we’ve been having. We made it on the stove top and it worked perfect!
That’s excellent! Glad you all enjoyed it