Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups diced cooked smoked ham
- 3 cans (15 oz each) navy or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp flour + 1/4 cup water (for slurry)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional but recommended)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4–1 cup cold milk or buttermilk
- 1 tbsp melted butter for brushing (optional)
Do This
- 1. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 3-quart baking dish or 9×13-inch pan.
- 2. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery in butter and oil until softened; add garlic, ham, thyme, and bay leaf.
- 3. Stir in beans, broth, water, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20–25 minutes; thicken with flour-and-water slurry and a splash of vinegar.
- 4. While stew simmers, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in cold butter, then stir in milk to make a soft biscuit dough.
- 5. Pour thickened stew into baking dish. Gently drop biscuit dough on top in 8–10 portions or pat into one slab and lay over stew.
- 6. Bake 20–25 minutes, until biscuit topping is golden and filling is bubbling around edges.
- 7. Brush biscuit with melted butter, rest 10 minutes, garnish with parsley if desired, and serve warm.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic comfort food: creamy beans, smoky ham, and a tender, golden biscuit crust all in one cozy dish.
- Pantry-friendly: uses simple, affordable ingredients you probably already keep on hand.
- Flexible: choose biscuit topping for a farmhouse feel, or swap in pie crust for a more traditional pot pie look.
- Great for leftovers: reheats beautifully and tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen.
Grocery List
- Produce: 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 2 ribs celery, 3 cloves garlic, fresh parsley (optional)
- Dairy: Unsalted butter, whole milk or buttermilk, optional egg (for pie crust wash if using variation)
- Pantry: Navy or great northern beans (canned or dried), smoked ham, chicken broth, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme, bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, optional pie crust (for variation)
Full Ingredients
Bean and Ham Stew Base
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as canola, sunflower, or light olive oil)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 medium carrots, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups diced cooked smoked ham (about 10 ounces), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 3 cans (15 ounces each) navy beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water (reduce or omit if you like an extra-thick filling)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon if your ham is very salty)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cold water (for the flour slurry)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (for brightness, optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Amish-Style Biscuit Topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 240 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional, for a lightly sweet biscuit)
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 to 1 cup cold whole milk or buttermilk (start with 3/4 cup, add more as needed)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter, for brushing the baked biscuit topping (optional but delicious)
Optional Pie Crust Topping (Variation)
- 1 single 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought), rolled to roughly fit a 3-quart baking dish
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream (for egg wash)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish
Set your oven to 400°F (200°C) so it has plenty of time to preheat while you build the stew and biscuit topping. Lightly grease a 3-quart casserole dish or a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or oil. This will help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier later.
Gather and measure all of your ingredients. Dice the vegetables and ham, rinse the beans, and cube the butter for the biscuit topping. Having everything ready will make the recipe flow smoothly.
Step 2: Sauté the vegetables and ham
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat until the butter melts and starts to foam.
Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onion turns translucent, about 8–10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so they soften without browning too deeply.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the diced ham, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, letting the ham warm through and lightly sizzle so its smoky flavor infuses the pot.
Step 3: Add beans, simmer, and thicken the stew
Stir the drained and rinsed beans into the pot, coating them with the aromatic mixture. Pour in the chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less if your ham is quite salty) and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes. The flavors will meld, and the liquid will reduce slightly. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
To thicken, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir this slurry into the simmering stew. Cook for 3–5 minutes more, until the liquid thickens to a creamy, pot-pie-like consistency that coats a spoon. If it seems too thick, you can stir in a splash of water or broth. Remove from heat, fish out the bay leaf, and stir in the tablespoon of vinegar (if using) for a subtle tang that brightens the rich flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 4: Make the biscuit topping
While the stew simmers, prepare the biscuit dough. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar (if using) until well combined.
Add the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. These tiny pockets of butter will create flaky, tender biscuits.
Pour in 3/4 cup of the cold milk or buttermilk. Gently stir with a fork or spatula just until a soft, shaggy dough forms. If the dough seems too dry and there are lots of loose floury bits, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together into a soft but not sticky dough. Do not overmix; a light touch keeps the biscuits tender.
Step 5: Assemble the pot pie
Pour the hot, thickened bean and ham stew into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly. It should nearly fill the dish, leaving just a little room at the top for the biscuit to puff.
For a rustic biscuit topping, use a large spoon to drop the dough in 8–10 portions evenly over the surface of the stew. The pieces will spread slightly as they bake, leaving small gaps where the stew can bubble through.
For a more traditional pot-pie look, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, pat it gently into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, and transfer it to the top of the stew. You can tuck the edges in slightly or let them just sit on the filling.
Step 6: Bake until golden and bubbling
Place the assembled pot pie on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips) and transfer to the preheated 400°F (200°C) oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the biscuit topping is nicely risen and golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
If the top is browning too quickly before the 20-minute mark, loosely tent a piece of foil over the dish and continue baking until the biscuits are cooked through in the center.
Optional pie crust variation: If using a pie crust instead of biscuit, lay the rolled crust over the hot stew, trim and crimp the edges, cut a few steam vents, brush with egg wash, and bake for 25–30 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
Step 7: Rest, garnish, and serve
Remove the pot pie from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Brush the biscuit topping with the tablespoon of melted butter, if using, for extra flavor and shine.
Let the dish rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This short rest allows the bubbling hot filling to settle and thicken slightly so it is easier to ladle cleanly into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley if you like a bit of color and freshness.
Serve warm in deep plates or bowls, making sure everyone gets a generous scoop of both the creamy bean-and-ham filling and the tender biscuit crust.
Pro Tips
- Control the salt. Smoked ham and broth can be quite salty. Start with less salt in the stew and adjust at the end after tasting.
- Keep the biscuit ingredients cold. Cold butter and cold milk or buttermilk are key to a light, flaky topping. If your kitchen is warm, chill the flour mixture for 10 minutes before adding the liquid.
- Thickness is important. The stew should be thicker than soup before it goes in the oven. If it is thin, add a bit more flour slurry; if it is too thick, stir in a splash of broth.
- Use the right dish size. A 3-quart casserole or 9×13-inch dish gives a good balance of filling and topping. A much deeper dish may require extra baking time for the topping to cook through.
- Let it rest before serving. That 10-minute rest after baking makes the difference between a runny filling and a luscious, spoonable stew under the crust.
Variations
- Old-fashioned dried bean version: Use 1 1/2 cups dried navy or great northern beans (about 10 ounces). Soak overnight in plenty of water, drain, then simmer in fresh water until just tender, 60–75 minutes. Drain and use in place of the canned beans. You may not need the extra 1 cup of water in the stew.
- Pie crust pot pie: Instead of biscuit dough, top the hot stew with a single pie crust (homemade or store-bought). Cut a few steam vents, brush with egg wash, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25–30 minutes until the crust is deep golden and crisp.
- Extra veggies and herbs: Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas or corn during the last 5 minutes of simmering, or add a handful of chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley and chives) for a brighter flavor profile.
Storage & Make-Ahead
For best texture, you can make the bean and ham stew ahead and bake with the topping just before serving. Prepare the stew completely, cool it, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. When ready to cook, reheat the stew until hot and bubbly on the stove, transfer to the baking dish, add the fresh biscuit or pie crust topping, and bake as directed (you may need to add 5–10 extra minutes if the filling is not very hot going into the oven).
Leftover baked pot pie keeps well in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Cover the dish tightly or transfer portions to sealed containers. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 20–25 minutes, loosely covered with foil, until warmed through. The biscuit or crust will soften slightly but remains very tasty. For longer storage, you can freeze baked portions for up to 2–3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate values per serving (1/6 of the recipe, using canned beans and biscuit topping): about 500 calories; 25 g protein; 45 g carbohydrates; 22 g fat; 9 g saturated fat; 8 g fiber; 1,100–1,300 mg sodium (depending on ham and broth); 6 g sugar. These values are estimates and will vary based on specific brands, ham type, and whether you use added sugar or pie crust instead of biscuits.
