For me, there’s not much more comforting than a big bowl of white beans with a chunk of cornbread and some diced fresh onion. And it’s a bonus if that bowl of beans is filled with chunks of ham and smoky ham flavor.

But lots of folks are intimidated by cooking dried beans. That’s why this method of using the slow cooker is so perfect. It makes the process virtually hands off and results in tender, creamy, smoky Great Northern beans that just taste like home.

And while this recipe is amazingly easy, there are a few things I’d like to run through. Your success is my ultimate goal.

Use regular dried Great Northern Beans or a generic brand. (Stacey Little / Southern Bite)

Ingredients

Great Northern beans – I use regular dried Great Northern beans; I think I even used the generic brand this time. I do not soak them for this recipe. Be sure to see my FAQ below on soaking beans for more information.

Celery – Nothing fancy here, just celery.

Carrot – Same goes for the carrots. I used one large carrot. Feel free to use more or less.

Onion – I prefer a white or yellow onion here, but any onion should work.

Water – You could opt for broth, but I’d recommend unsalted to control the salt content. I think water works just fine and it’s less expensive. While I don’t recommend soaking your beans, if you do, you’ll need to adjust your water amount. See the FAQ below for more info on soaking beans.

Ham – I used leftover pieces of spiral-sliced smoked ham because I wanted larger pieces of meat in the beans. You could use a large leftover ham bone, a few smoked ham hocks or even smoked turkey pieces.

Salt – The amount of salt you’ll need depends on the amount of salt in the meat you’re using, so I recommend adding salt only after cooking and after you’ve added the ham seasoning.

Ham seasoning – This is an optional ingredient, but one that I highly recommend. Ham seasoning is a great way to add even more smoky ham flavor to lots of dishes, especially these beans. If you’re going to use this, add it before salt as there is some sodium in this. Then you can add salt to taste.

Method

The slow cooker or Crockpot is the perfect way to cook beans. The low and slow method makes for tender, creamy beans with tons of flavor.

With that being said, the slow cooker does present a few challenges – all of which are easy to deal with if you know about them.

The slow cooker or Crockpot is the perfect way to cook beans. The low and slow method makes tender, creamy beans with tons of flavor. (Stacey Little / Southern Bite)

The main issue is with cook time. There are huge variations in cook time with many slow cooker recipes – and for good reason. Every slow cooker cooks differently. In fact, in testing this recipe I used two slow cookers of the same size and even the same brand, and they produced different results.

One slow cooker had the beans tender in about five hours on high. The other took a little more than six hours on high. The reason was temperature. The one that finished first was cooking at about 208 degrees, while the other was cooking at about 194 degrees. That’s a 14-degree difference between the exact same slow cookers.

So just keep in mind that the time can vary a bit based on your specific slow cooker.

Want creamy beans? Just stir.

Everyone’s idea about the final texture of beans like this is a little different. If you prefer a more clear broth, I suggest following the recipe pretty closely.

If you want beans with a super creamy, thick broth, vigorously stir the beans when they’re nearly ready to eat and press some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker walls to break them up.

Do I need to soak my beans first?

As I’ve said before, I was taught that you always soak dried beans before cooking them – whether using the overnight or the quick soak method. Modern science and testing have revealed, however, that soaking beans really doesn’t do much other than cut down on the cook time (which isn’t a huge difference anyway).

I tested this recipe both ways and didn’t find a noticeable difference in texture, cook time, etc. One thing to note, though, is that if you do soak them, you’ll need less water in the slow cooker when cooking them. I recommend reducing the water amount to 6 cups if you’ve already soaked your beans.

A hearty, comforting meal for a chilly day. (Stacey Little / Southern Bite)

Slow Cooker Ham and Beans

Click here for a printable version.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried Great Northern beans
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 2 cups diced ham
• 8 cups water*
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Salt (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 packet ham-flavored concentrate (about 1 teaspoon)

Instructions

• Lightly spray the crock of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
• Set the temperature to low.
• Rinse and sort the dried beans to eliminate any bad beans or foreign debris.
• Add the celery, carrot, onion and ham to the slow cooker.
• Pour the beans on top.
• Add the water.
• Add the pepper.
• Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10. (See above about cook time.)
• Once tender to your liking, add the ham seasoning packet and salt to taste. For us, it’s about 1 teaspoon of salt.
• For a creamy broth, stir vigorously, pressing some of the beans against the side of the crock to mash them up.
• Stir to combine.

Notes

*In our tests, soaking the beans overnight made no real difference in cook time, tenderness or other important factors, so we do not soak them. However, if you choose to soak your beans, you’ll need about 2 cups less water when cooking them.

This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”