"Baby I'm Scared of You" Instant Pot White Beans with Ham Hocks Recipe

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!

Ham and Beans Stew Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Can I Cook This Without An Instant Pot?

Yes indeed, it's just as easy, but will require a longer cooking time. Just make sure you have a enough liquid to cover the beans fully.

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 

Southern Pinto Beans

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

Instant Pot Jerk 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.