Ham Hock Bean Soup Cornbread (Printable)

Smoky ham hock slow-cooked with beans and veggies served alongside tender cornbread.

# What You'll Need:

→ Ham Hock and Bean Soup

01 - 1 large smoked ham hock, approximately 1 pound
02 - 1 pound dried white beans (navy or Great Northern), soaked overnight and drained
03 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
04 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
05 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - Salt to taste
13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Cornbread

15 - 1 cup yellow cornmeal
16 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
17 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
18 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
19 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
20 - 1 cup whole milk
21 - 2 large eggs
22 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

# Method:

01 - In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more until fragrant.
03 - Add drained soaked beans, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and ham hock is falling apart.
05 - Remove the ham hock from the pot. Shred the meat, discarding skin and bone, and return the shredded meat to the pot. Discard bay leaves.
06 - Taste and season with salt as needed. Simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes to thicken if desired. Stir in fresh parsley just before serving.
07 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
08 - In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring until just combined without overmixing.
09 - Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10 - Cool cornbread slightly before slicing. Serve hot soup in bowls with warm cornbread on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The ham hock gives you that smoky, impossible-to-replicate depth that makes even simple beans taste like they've been tended to for hours.
  • One pot for the soup, one pan for the cornbread, and you've got a complete meal that feels fancy without pretending to be.
  • Leftovers taste better the next day, which is the mark of any recipe truly worth making.
02 -
  • Soaking your beans overnight isn't just a convenience—it actually changes their texture and cooking time in ways that rushing the process can't replicate, so don't skip it even when you're tired.
  • The soup will taste better on day two because the flavors have had time to know each other, so making this a day ahead is not a shortcut, it's a strategy.
  • Taste the broth before you add salt; the ham hock is salty in a way that sneaks up on you, and you can always add salt later but you can't take it out.
03 -
  • If you don't have time to soak beans overnight, use the quick soak method: cover them with water, bring to a boil for two minutes, then let them sit covered for an hour before draining and cooking—it's not quite as good as overnight, but it works in a pinch.
  • Use a Dutch oven if you have one because the heavy bottom distributes heat evenly and the weight of the lid keeps everything cooking gently and uniformly instead of unevenly.
  • Save the cornbread for dunking rather than crumbling it into the soup at the table, which keeps it from turning into mush and lets everyone eat their meal the way they prefer.
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