Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2012

My husband just told me that this is by far the best Ham Hock & Bean soup he's ever had, and he has eaten a lot of different ones. I used the base, but didn't have onion powder so used a med onion, and also I put a little too much water in so I made the best of it and added flour & water to make it creamy. I also did a rapid soak for the beans and cooked it on high for 5 hrs then kicked it down to low. I served it with rolls, my kids broke up the rolls and dropped them in to make it like dumplings. It was a huge hit in my household. Thanks for your recipie!!!

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Reviewer:

DINOHOPE

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2011

Used Old Bay instead of salt and a garlic pepper blend. Also added some liquid smoke. Was very good!

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Reviewer:

PHILLYJH

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Red Oak, Iowa, USA

Living In: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2011

I used this recipe, and it seemed a little bland, so I added garlic and molasses. :)

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lillie

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Geuda Springs, Kansas, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2011

I never look at a recipe that is less then a 4 1/2 star but I looked at the ingredients and thought, YUM. So I looked at the reviews. The negative ones made me try it. First of all, I kinda doubt the person actually made this recipe who thought the b.sugar and cayenne pepper was a terrible idea. Secondly, if you think about this recipe truly it is an awesome base. I have made many of bean soups. My husband said this one was one of my better soups, and he loves my cooking. I used an onion instead of onion powder. This was all I did to the "base"recipe yet I know what I love in a bean recipe. I added celery. with about an hour to cook I added on can kernel corn and 1 can stewed tomatoes. Served with buttermilk biscuits. Remember the sugar does change the flavor and it for the better... it give it a rich deep flavor. Not too sweet at all. Then of course I added other veggies. Thank you for this great "base" recipe and if I wanted a thick bean and ham... I would leave it alone and add a lot less water.

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Reviewer:

Lady Pamela

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Rainier, Oregon, USA

Living In: Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Reviewed: May 19, 2011

This was my first time making Ham and Beans and I LOVED it! Followed recipe as directed except I cut the cayenne pepper in half, and I used 15 Bean Soup, since that is all I had on hand. At first I followed other reviews by cutting the brown sugar in half, but when I tasted the beans at the end, I ended up adding more brown sugar - which totalled to the recommended amount. I also used 2 cans Chicken Broth and then filled the rest of the way with water to cover the beans, and I think that helped with flavoring. I also used a tip that I read on another ham and bean recipe...." Add a pinch (maybe 1/2 tsp) of baking soda - makes the beans creamy and much less gassy". I loved that I could throw it in the crockpot and it was ready when I got home. Will be making this again!

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Reviewer:

diananichols22

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: May 18, 2011

Hmm.... I'm not sure why nearly every review suggests this is too sweet (huh?). Not only is this not sweet at all, it is neither savory OR spicy. Because I made this for myself, I fully anticipated LOTS of leftovers. My hubby is returning from his business trip late tonight and will probably grab something at the airport. He doesn't care for beans anyways, so my plan was to eat this for the next few day's lunches. I'm sad to say that I'm not going to.... This is SUPER bland! Now, I'll admit, I snubbed my nose at ham and beans as a child (my mom LOOOVED them and fixed them often for her and my father), but I am happy to report, I have made it past my childhood aversion. Unfortunately, this recipe failed to convince me how good ham and beans can be. :( Tonight's meal ended up consisting primarily of cornbread and a half bowl of beans I was able to choke down. Thanks anyways, PeaceLoveJoy.

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Chef Mickey (aka Mickey)

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: De Soto, Missouri, USA

Living In: Elgin, Illinois, USA

Reviewed: May 2, 2011

We both thought this was tasty, but I followed the advice of others and only used 1/4 c brown sugar, and we wouldn't have wanted it any sweeter. I also substituted part of the water with beef broth. I forgot to soak the beans overnight, so I washed the beans and set the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours, then on low for the remainder of the time, and they were fully cooked, so you don't have to worry if you don't soak the beans first. I will make this again and will substiture turkey kielbasa when I don't have leftover ham.

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Reviewer:

EDDIEB1

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Hanford, California, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2011

I really didn't even want to give this one star, but did only because it was edible, just not palatable. My husband and I both did not finish one bowl of this and I am deleting from my recipe box. I think there was far too much brown sugar, it was way too sweet with no other flavor really. I even added more of each ingredient to try and make it taste better, with no luck. I am going to refrigerate it until tomorrow and taste again. Maybe it will be better the second day. I'm glad I made the cheddar biscuits that I did!

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Reviewer:

Mother Ann

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Streetsboro, Ohio, USA

Living In: Ravenna, Ohio, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 12, 2011

This is a good bean recipe, I serve beans with many meals. Being from south Louisiana where we eat rice and gravy alot, beans go well with most meals. I tweeked it a bit. I added chicken broth cubes and ground jalapeno peppers. I left out the brown sugar which makes this recipe healthier. This recipe freezes well so I doubled it. I will make this again.

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Reviewer:

Joyceg

Reviewed: Mar. 1, 2011

I used the beans for 15 bean soup. My husband thought the recipe was a little bland, but I think it will be better when we eat it for leftovers. Easy recipe.

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