Ham Hock Bean Soup Cornbread (Printable)

Smoky ham hock simmers with beans and veggies, served with tender golden cornbread for a comforting dish.

# Components:

→ Ham Hock and Bean Soup

01 - 1 large smoked ham hock, about 1 pound
02 - 1 pound dried white beans, 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

# Directions:

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. Add soaked beans, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Pour in broth and bring to a boil.
03 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and ham hock is falling apart.
04 - Remove ham hock and shred the meat, discarding skin and bone. Return meat to pot. Remove bay leaves. Taste and season with salt as needed. Simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes to thicken if desired. Stir in fresh parsley just before serving.
05 - 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.
06 - In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture, stirring until just combined without overmixing.
07 - Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before slicing.
08 - Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve with warm cornbread on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The ham hock does the heavy lifting, infusing every bean with smoky richness so you don't need to fuss with spices.
  • Cornbread made from scratch takes twenty minutes and becomes golden, tender proof that weeknight comfort doesn't have to be complicated.
  • Leftovers somehow taste better the next day, which means you're actually ahead of the game by making this.
02 -
  • Never skip soaking the beans overnight—rushing this step means they'll cook unevenly and some will fall apart while others stay hard, which is frustrating after two hours of waiting.
  • When the ham hock seems done but the beans still feel firm, give it another fifteen minutes; they finish cooking in their own time and rushing them means mushy soup.
  • For cornbread, cold ingredients mixed until just combined with careful, minimal stirring is what creates that tender crumb—the moment you see steam rise from the batter, stop stirring.
03 -
  • Don't be shy about tasting and adjusting salt at the end—this is where the soup either sings or falls flat, and every ham hock is different.
  • If your cornbread batter seems too thick, a splash more milk won't hurt; if it seems too thin, a tablespoon of cornmeal brings it back into balance.
Return