This great northern beans recipe is not only super healthy and easy to make, but it tastes delicious too. Simple ingredients like dried beans, smoked ham, and chicken broth combine together to make a smoky flavored, and perfectly seasoned savory side dish you and everyone you serve it to will love.
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My Take On Great Northern Beans
It's safe to say that cooked beans aren't usually the most exciting side dish. Thankfully, this great northern beans recipe is packed with enough flavor to make it the most delicious part of dinner! Atleast that's usually the response I get from guests when I serve it to 'em at my house.
My recipe for great northern beans is made in the slow cooker with garlic, onions, smoked ham, herbs, cloves, and chicken broth.
Sounds tasty, right?!
Well, let me tell ya if you like your Great Northern Beans to have a little smokiness to 'em like I like 'em to have, you're going to love this recipe.
Plus, as I alluded to earlier, it's also crazy easy to make these beans. All you have to do is soak the dried beans overnight, then add all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, and let 'em cook to perfection. Easy peasy.
By the way, if you're looking for a tasty main dish to serve these beans next to, a few of my favorites to pair with it are this braised beef recipe, this ham loaf, and this cube steak. My wife especially loves it when I make the braised beef to go along with the beans.
Ingredients
One of my favorite things about this ham and beans recipe is that it only requires a handful of easy-to-find ingredients.
There's also plenty of room to modify this recipe, depending on what you have on hand - more on that in a minute.
Anyway, here's everything you need to make these great northern beans:
- 1 lb. Great Northern Beans, dried
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ Onion, diced
- 1 Clove
- 4 cups Water
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Smoked Ham, cut into cubes
- Olive oil, to drizzle on top
- Fresh herbs
See what I mean? Super simple stuff right?
By the way, you can use great northern beans to make this baked bean casserole. It's a favorite at our house, so I definitely recommend grabbing some extra to make it.
Also, I use a lot of these same ingredients to make this ham and beans soup and these butter beans. So, if you're looking for a couple more delicious bean recipes, give 'em a shot.
Ingredient Substitutions & Additions
Now, when it comes to smoked ham, I especially like using ham hock when I can find it.
Ham hock usually comes smoked and is often used to enhance soups and stews. Also, when it's cooked for a long time, the ham hock breaks down and becomes super tender and delicious.
As for the possible additions to this recipe, I occasionally like to add canned diced tomatoes - or fresh vegetables - though this is optional.
Lastly, when it comes to the beans, if you don't have a full pound of dried great northern beans, then you can substitute them for white beans, or even navy beans.
Anyway, let's get cooking.
How To Make Great Northern Beans
This part of the recipe is going to be pretty short since there really isn't much you have to do to make these beans taste delicious.
And I've gone ahead and included times and settings for using both a slow cooker and an Instant Pot, so you can use either one you have.
Now, let's stop wasting time and get into it!
Step 1: Prep Work
First, you're going to prepare the white beans. To start, rinse the beans in a strainer to thoroughly wash them.
Then, add the beans to a large bowl and cover them in water. Leave the bowl on the counter and let the beans soak overnight.
Step 2: Cooking The Beans
The next day after your beans are done soaking, drain the excess water and give the beans another rinse.
Then, add the beans, garlic cloves, onion, clove, water, chicken broth, and smoked ham to a slow cooker or crock pot. Cook everything on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4.
Instant Pot Cooking Instructions
If you want to use an Instant Pot, you can add everything to the Instant Pot and then cook on high for 35 minutes.
Step 3: Serving
Once the beans are cooked and tender, taste and add salt if necessary.
Then, remove them from the slow cooker, transfer everything to four bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh herbs on top.
Enjoy!
How I Recommend Storing The Great Northern Beans
This recipe for great northern beans will make 4 servings, so it should be plenty for a big family dinner. With that said though, if you're just making them for one or two people, this recipe is terrific leftover.
So, if you end up with leftovers of the cooked beans, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight for about 3-4 days.
My Recommendations For Reheating The Great Northern Beans
To reheat your great northern beans, simply microwave them in 20-second increments until thoroughly heated. And I recommend microwaving them in a bowl with a plate on top, as sometimes the beans have a tendency to pop and make a bit of a mess.
Alternatively, you can warm the great northern beans in a pot over a burner set to medium-low heat, and cook them until thoroughly heated.
My Final Thoughts
Well, that's how to make great northern beans in the crockpot or Instant Pot!
Honestly, it'll be hard to find a slow cooker bean recipe as tasty - and easy - as this one. I mean, you've got delicious smoked ham, a rich savory broth, and hearty beans, what more could you want?!
As always, if you give this dried great northern beans recipe a try, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Also, don't forget to check out our Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram for more easy recipes just like this one!
More Of My Favorite Side Dish Recipes
If you enjoy this tasty side dish, there are a ton of other easy ones on the blog that I think you'll like just as much.
Give one of these a try next:
- Ham balls
- Ham salad
- Baked beans
- Crack green beans
- Cheesy mashed potatoes
- Sweet corn cake
- Asparagus casserole
- Sweet potato hash browns
- Honey glazed candied carrots
Yield: 4 servings
The BEST Great Northern Beans Recipe With Smoked Ham
This great northern beans recipe is not only super healthy and easy to make, but it tastes delicious too. Simple ingredients like dried beans, smoked ham, and chicken broth combine together to make a smoky flavored, and perfectly seasoned savory side dish you and everyone you serve it to will love.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Great Northern Beans, dried
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ Onion, diced
- 1 Clove
- 4 cups Water
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Smoked Ham, cut into cubes
- Olive oil, to drizzle on top
- Fresh herbs
Instructions
- Wash and soak the beans overnight.
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, put it on low, and cook for 8 hours.
- Remove from the slow cooker and serve with olive oil and fresh herbs.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 serving
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 210Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 20g
