How Long To Cook Northern Beans

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After the rich Thanksgiving goodies, we always look for something more down home and simple for dinner. These Creamy Northern Beans with Ham certainly fit the bill for that!

I threw the ingredients together in the slow cooker, let them cook for 8 long hours, and the result was a creamy, flavorful pot of beans with tender and delicious chunks of ham. Add a piece of cornbread and you have the perfect warming dinner for a cool Fall evening.

The original recipe calls for a ham hock, but I substitute one inch cubed smoked ham instead. I find that a ham hock usually leaves the beans greasy and it's hard to skim all that fat off.

If you don't have ham leftover from Thanksgiving, go to your local deli and ask for a pound of smoked ham cut one inch thick. Cube it into chunks when you get home and throw them in with the beans.

These delicious Creamy Northern Beans with Ham remind me of dishes my Mother used to make. Pure comfort food at its best that leaves you satisfied. We lost my Mom in 2009, but I'm lucky enough to have inherited her recipe box and cookbooks with hand written notes in them. Priceless!

Be sure and use the pinch of cloves called for in the recipe. It's not overpowering and adds a nice flavor depth to the creamy beans!

I hope you'll try these – they're simple to make and are so very good for a nice dinner. They even seem to get better and better after a few days.

You don't have to wait till Thanksgiving or even cool weather to make this recipe. They're awesome all year round.

Ingredients

1 lb Great Northern Beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
pinch of ground cloves
1 lb smoked ham, cut in 1" cubes
4 1/2 C Water
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth

Instructions

Sort beans and put them into a large pot. Cover with fresh water (about 2 inches higher than the beans) and let them sit overnight. If you're in a hurry, boil them for 5 minutes, then let them sit covered in the pan for about 30 minutes.
Rinse the beans and place them in the slow cooker. Add the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, ham and the pinch of ground cloves. Pour in the water and broth. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, until the beans are tender and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
If you have leftovers, pour them into your container and let them sit out until they're room temperature, then refrigerate.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If you want more of a soup than stew, just add 2 more cups of water.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203 Total Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 18mg Sodium: 941mg Carbohydrates: 25g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 1g Protein: 21g

Nutrition Values are Approximate