How to make slow cooker ham and baked beans

Kate Elliott

Contributing Writer

Baked beans are so good! They're warm and comforting, and just a little bit goes a long way because they're extremely filling. Many prefer baked beans drenched in barbecue sauce, but others are more of a purist. The recipe below leaves them mostly as is, with just a little onion mixed in for flavoring. That combination is the only way to really get the full creaminess of the beans, and that ham flavor that really packs a punch of its own.

If you make baked beans in the oven, that can take an entire afternoon because, let's face it, beans take a long time to cook. But you can make them in the slow cooker. You still have to let the beans soak overnight – the most inactive form of cooking there is. But after that, you just dump everything in the slow cooker and come back to a delicious and hearty meal (or side dish) when you get home. Scoop them out, pour some of that hearty broth over your serving and enjoy.

Cooktop Cove

Slow Cooker Ham and Baked Beans

10 minutes

8 hours

8 hours, 10 minutes

1 pound dried navy beans

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 onion, chopped in a medium dice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 pound smoked ham, skin removed and cut in a large dice

6 cups chicken broth

Sort beans and soak in enough water to cover by two inches overnight. In the morning, rinse and drain the beans and place them in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix well to combine all ingredients.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until the beans are tender.

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