Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2008

This soup really is the best bean and ham soup I've ever had. Rich, hearty and full of taste! I couldn't find a ham bone at my grocer's and didn't feel like driving to my butcher so I used two large ham hocks and cut a large piece of black forest ham into chunks. I also used low sodium broth, juice and tomatoes. This soup is so flavorful you really don't need all that extra salt. Thanks for the recipe, and I can't wait to try it with a ham bone :)

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KITCHEE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2008

I thought this was pretty good. I followed the author's original recipe with the exception of adding chili powder (i've got really picky kids who can't stand any heat). One kid loved it and everyone else thought it was okay. I found the vegetable/tomato base to be stronger than I had anticipated based on other reviews and made it taste too much like vegetable soup instead of bean soup. If you really like the taste of vegetable soup, then this would be a great recipe to try.

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Happydale Inmate

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Living In: Brentwood, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2008

This is not what I was expecting of "bean soup", but it is absolutely delicious! I following the author's notes (reviewed on March 24) and the only thing I would change would be to only use one bay leaf, if any. The flavor came through a little too much. I also used diced tomatoes with jalepenos and this was good. This requires a huge pot, takes a long time, but worth the extra effort if you want a "better than ordinary" soup!!

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Cindy T.

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2008

I don't usually like bean soup, but this was fantastic! For the ham bone, I used a 2-lb package of smoked pork hocks, then followed the recipe just as written. Even my kids liked it!

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JKSFITZ

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Dale, Wisconsin, USA

Living In: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2008

This soup is good, but I have to agree with RobynAnn; the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard dominated the flavor of this soup. After it simmered, I added chicken bouillon and a dash of sugar. My family liked the soup...they ate it, but I don't think they'd want me to make it again. I know they wouldn't have liked it at all without the extra bouillon and sugar. Everyone has their different tastes and this soup just isn't a family favorite for us.

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sweetemmy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2008

This is the first time I have made bean soup and I thought it was wonderful. Mt family loved it. I used a can of tomatoes with chiles for a little bite. Thank you very much for the wonderful recipe

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deedee

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Reviewed: Dec. 7, 2008

Very Disappionted. The chili powder, worcestershire and mustard totally dominated the flavor of the ham, the tomatoes didnt help either. But I have to say my husband loved it.

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RobynAnn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 7, 2008

Fantastic, I love it and also tweaked it. 1. I doubled this recipe. I had a large ham bone and ended up with 11 pounds of ham that I had to dice. 2. I cooked my soup for 24 hours. The first eight uncovered, the last 16 covered. It took eight hours just to be able to bend the ham so I could cover it. :-) 3. I left the bone in about 20 hours. 4. I used a 20qt. stock pot

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MITCHHARRIS

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Southfield, Michigan, USA

Living In: Berkley, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 5, 2008

This is a great recipe. Lots of left over which tastes even better day by day.

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JUDYELLIS51

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

This recipe truly meets the expectations of its name. We didn't even know we love ham and bean soup but we had a ham in the freezer. Now our children keep asking when we'll have another ham. One is thawing in the frig now and this soup is on the menu!

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SHELLIREYE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Gothenburg, Nebraska, USA

Living In: Bloomfield, Nebraska, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

This was really good. I substituted Hot and Spicy V8 for the low sodium V8 juice. We like a little more spice. I couldn't tell with the other juices that I had even put it in. Next time I might also substitute diced tomatoes with green chiles to up the spice factor.

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adlundy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA

Living In: Austin, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2008

This bean soup has a wonderful flavor and is very filling. The whole family likes this! 5 stars - a keeper!

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sarahloohoo

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Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2008

If you don't like this soup then you don't like ham and bean soup because it doesn't get any better than this! I followed the recipe exactly using my crock pot and it was fantastic. I didn't need extra liquid as it cooked, maybe because of using the crock pot, i don't know. Didn't need any salt as the ham was plenty salty. It makes alot but thats good. I'm a big fan of leftovers. Thank you for sharing this great soup recipe

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cheryl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Rochester, New Hampshire, USA

Living In: Dover, New Hampshire, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 18, 2008

Wonderful flavor!! Just make sure you plan ahead for the beans to soak and at least 8 hours to cook. Worth the wait.

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Lisa

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008

AWESOME!! I made this last night, and forgot the lemon but it turned out wonderful!

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cHaOtIc13

Home Town: Kalispell, Montana, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 5, 2008

Really good. Mine turned out really thick - which is fine. Soaking the beans really helps. Somewhat time consuming (I simmered mine ALL DAY!) but delicious. Thanks for sharing.

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a_cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2008

Wonderful soup. YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT...if you like ham & bean soup. One reviewer had added brown sugar as I used to do. Totally unnecessary for our tastes. Great balance of flavours - definately not 'kitchen sink soup'. I understood that it made a lot but am now wishing I had made more. I promised 1/2 to my nephew & wife...that was before I made it :) There are many other recipes out there that take less time to make but I can't imagine any of them tasting quite so good. My hats off to the chef. Thanks for sharing!

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K9owned

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Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2008

Great soup, but it makes a HUGE pot. I read the previous reviews indicating that it was a big pot, but I didn't fully appreciate how big until I made this. I started in my slow cooker (that I think is pretty big) and had to move the soup to my largest stockpot because I ran out of room. Since I ran out of room in the slow cooker I also ran out of time to cook it in the evening and had to cook it for a couple of hours in the evening, put it in the fridge and then finish cooking it the next day. It still turned out great! Definitely the best ham and bean soup I've made. Thank you for the recipe!

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newcook

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Reviewed: Sep. 13, 2008

very good soup.... not the traditional "bean soup" we're used to in PA, but all in all great taste. i followed the directions exactly. everyone liked it.

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