Collard Greens Soup with Ham and Beans

This Slow Cooker Collard Greens Soup with Ham and Beans is the ultimate hearty Southern comfort food meal! It's incredibly flavorful, simple to prepare, and very hands-off with the use of the slow cooker.

We love soup season, and this recipe is a spin on Chamere's (my husband's) family recipe. We decided to put our own spin on his grandma's recipe, and this version is packed with protein, fiber, and flavor!

This is the ultimate comfort food, a Southern classic, and it's a regular in our dinner rotation in our house! We love serving it with our honey cornbread muffins or some sweet potato cornbread.

Don't forget our Southern baked mac and cheese or this old fashioned sweet potato casserole, and if you're really in the mood for Southern comfort food, try our honey butter chicken biscuits or this Cajun seafood boil!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Hearty and filling comfort food. Not only is this dish ultra-satisfying, but it's also very filling with tons of protein and fiber. It's like a hug in a bowl that's ultra-flavorful.
• Easy recipe. This recipe is super hands-off, and you let your slow cooker do most of the work!
• Made with simple ingredients. Everything you need for this recipe can be found at the grocery store if you don't already have it on hand, plus, the ingredients are super minimal!

🥬Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Cubed or diced ham. We love using diced ham for a quick and easy mealtime solution. It's pre-cooked, so it saves time, and still tastes amazing!
• Dry beans. We love this 13-bean soup mix. No need to soak these overnight, just rinse them really well to make sure there's no dirt.
• Collard greens. You can buy them pre-cut and washed, but we prefer to do it ourselves to discard the stems. Just make to wash these really well, as they carry a lot of dirt in the leaves!
• Jalapenos. Totally optional, and this is something we've added to the family recipe. If you like a little spice, leave them in. You can leave the seeds in for more spice, or take them out for less.
• Butter. We always recommend using unsalted butter if possible to help control the salt levels.
• Apple cider vinegar. Trust us on this, the acidity is needed to cut through some of the richness. You won't taste it!

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• Swap the meat. Feel free to use more traditional meats like ham hocks or smoked turkey. Keep in mind that both of these meats will need to be seared for a few minutes, and will absolutely need a lot of cooking time to ensure they become fall-off-the-bone tender.
• Add bacon. You can also add more meat, like bacon for even more flavor!
• Swap the greens. If you can't find collard greens, kale or Swiss chard would be the closest substitutes!
• Add tomatoes. Some people like to add a little tomato paste and/or canned tomatoes to their greens, so feel free to do that if it speaks to you!
• Swap the beans. You can use any dried bean you like here. We like using a bean soup mix for texture and variety, but really you can use whatever is your favorite. Some popular choices include lima beans, broad beans, black-eyed peas, and cannellini beans!
• Using canned beans. We prefer using dried beans for this soup because they just cook slowly in the broth alongside everything else, but if you want to use canned beans, just be sure to drain away the liquid, and add them within the last hour of cooking alongside the collards. If you add canned beans too early, they will just end up really mushy.
• Use a different cooking liquid. If you don't have chicken broth, use chicken stock or vegetable stock. You could use water, but it won't have nearly as much flavor.

This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

🔪Prep Work

• Cut the onion into thin strips.
• Mince garlic.
• Wash the collard greens really well until the water runs clear, and there is no more dirt on them. Remove the stems by using your fingers, or with a knife, then roll up the greens, and cut them into thin strips. Check out the video in our recipe card to see how it's done.
• Optional step. Preheat a skillet (or your slow cooker if it has a saute function!) over medium heat.

Wash the beans

Wash the beans in cold water until the water runs clear. (Image 1)

Drain them completely, and set aside. (Image 2)

*Pro tip: Don't skip this step! You may need to do this 4 or more times until the water is no longer cloudy. Also, be sure to toss any rocks you may find!

Cook the aromatics (optional)

This step is optional, but we highly recommend it, because it adds a ton of flavor with minimal effort!

To the bottom of a slow cooker with a saute setting or in a skillet over medium heat, add the butter to melt, followed by the onions and jalapenos with a large pinch of salt.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 4-5 minutes. Then, add in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, and dried thyme. (Image 3) Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

⭑Pro tip: If you'd like, you can just add all of these ingredients to the bottom of the slow cooker and skip cooking them, but trust us on this, you won't regret the few extra minutes you spend cooking down the onions, garlic, and spices!

Add the beans, ham, and broth

Add the beans, ham, and most of the broth. (Image 4)

Set the slow cooker to HIGH. Cook until beans are fully cooked, about 4 hours.

Add the greens

After about 4 hours, add in the cleaned collard greens, with the remaining chicken stock, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper to taste. (Image 5)

Cover again and cook on high for 1 hour until the greens are soft. (Image 6)

Serve with hot sauce, cornbread, and enjoy!

✨Top Tips

• Sauté the aromatics. Don't skip the step of cooking the onions, jalapeños, garlic, and spices in butter. This builds a flavorful base for your soup, with just a small amount of extra effort!
• Use quality ham. Choose a good-quality, smoked ham for the best flavor!
• Don't rush the beans. Allow the full 4 hours for the beans to cook before adding the collards. You want to make sure they're fully cooked and tender.
• Adjust the heat to your preference. Taste and adjust the spice level with the jalapeños, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce to suit your preference. We like things with a little kick, but you can feel free to scale it back if you'd like.
• Finish with acid. The apple cider vinegar and hot sauce added at the end brightens the flavor of the soup. Don't skip this, because it balances the richness of the soup.