A crock pot great northern beans recipe on a comfort food blog might make you a bit suspicious, but don't fret. These beans are all about Southern and all about comfort! Fabulous served with my Southern Cornbread Recipe.
Dry beans, ham hock, and all the other flavors that are hearty and flavorful will make you and your family happy!
So simple to put together - like any good slow cooker recipe - and yet so flavorful after all-day cooking!
What are Great Northern Beans?
Great northern beans are a large white bean that's similar in taste to Navy beans, but they hold up a bit better than Navy beans during cooking. They are definitely not "northern" or anti-southern, however.
They have a hearty, creamy flavor and serve up nicely with ham, veggies, and other seasonings. For great northern beans, you can easily substitute Navy or cannellini beans.
What You'll Need
2 pounds dry great northern beans
6 cups water
1-½ pounds ham or pork hock
salt to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 large carrot, sliced or chopped
1 large celery stalk, sliced or chopped
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
How to Make
Add all ingredients to a large slow cooker.
Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours.
Remove ham hock to cool a bit. Remove ham bits and add them back to the slow cooker.
Stir the ingredients, taste, and add salt if needed. Serve hot with corn bread or biscuits.
Easy peasy! And so delicious!
Tips
I like to soak my beans in water for 12-24 hours so they will cook more quickly and not be as hard to digest (yes, less gas for you and your family!)
After soaking, make sure to rinse the beans well before cooking. Some foam may form at the top of the liquid while cooking. It's good to skim that foam off if you have the time, as this is more gas forming on the surface.
If you don't have a ham or pork hock (which is simply a portion of pork leg bone with some meat on it), you can add in some cooked ham pieces (about 2 cups worth) to flavor the beans.
No need to add broth, as the ham hock will do the job broth would do. Simply adding water is sufficient.
You may not need to add any salt at all. This all depends on how salty your hock is and your preferences. That's why I'll leave it up to you. I didn't need to add any to mine.
I hope you love this Crock Pot Great Northern Beans with ham recipe as much as my family and I do! Don't forget to print and/or pin to Pinterest for making soon! Then let me know in the comments below how yours turned out.
More Bean Recipes to Love:
Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas with Ham Hock
Ham and Bean Crockpot Soup (using Leftover Ham)
Southern Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
Recipe
Crock Pot Great Northern Beans - Southern Style with Ham
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds great northern beans , dry
- 6 cups water
- 1-½ pounds ham hock
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large carrot sliced or chopped
- 1 large celery stalk sliced or chopped
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large slow cooker.
- Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours.
- Remove ham hock to cool a bit. Remove ham bits and add them back to the slow cooker.
- Stir the ingredients, taste, and add salt if needed. Serve hot with corn bread or biscuits.
Nutrition
Don't Forget to Pin for Later!
Patti funkhouser
Do you have to soaks great northern beans in a cock pot
Sally
Patti - Soaking dry beans helps them to cook faster as well as getting rid of some of the gas-producing elements in the beans, making them easier to digest. However, you don't have to soak them - they will take a bit longer to cook and may cause more gas discomfort if you don't.