White Bean & Ham Hock Soup

Would you eat a bowl of this rich, hearty White Bean & Ham Hock Soup? 🤤 It’s packed with tender white beans, meaty ham hocks, onions, and a lightly sweet, savory broth. Perfect for a cozy family dinner!
Ingredients
16 oz dried Great Northern beans
3–4 meaty ham hocks or ham shanks
1 small white onion, diced
Water, enough to cover the beans by about 2 inches
Salt and black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup light brown sugar
Directions

1. Prepare the beans
   Sort through the dried beans and remove any stones or damaged beans. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water.
2. Add everything to the crockpot
   Place the rinsed beans, diced onion, salt, pepper, and ham hocks or large chunks of ham into the crockpot.
3. Add water
   Pour in enough water to cover the beans by approximately 2 inches, about 6–8 cups depending on your crockpot.
4. Cook until tender
   Cover and cook on High for about 2 hours. Then reduce the heat to Low and cook for another 4–5 hours, or until the beans are completely tender.
5. Remove the ham
   Take the ham hocks out of the crockpot. Remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones and excess tough pieces.
6. Return the meat
   Put the shredded/chopped ham back into the crockpot.
7. Add the brown sugar
   For a thicker soup, you can first remove about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Then add the ⅓ cup brown sugar and gently stir everything together.
8. Serve
   Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve warm. The creamy beans and tender smoky ham make this an incredibly comforting meal! 🥣❤️
   Tip: Taste before adding extra salt—the ham hocks can already make the broth quite salty.