Once you have a ham bone, ya gotta make Ham & Beans! It's just necessary.
This is my stovetop version. There is a separate recipe for canned ham and beans; next time I'm able to can some, I will post about it and include the recipe.
You can use whatever type of bean you have on hand. I like to use White Navy Beans but I've seen this done with Pinto Beans and Cranberry Beans before too.
Back when I was young and a far pickier eater, I wouldn't eat this type of ham and beans. I would only eat green beans! Things have changed.
You have to sort and rinse off the beans. Don't do what I did the very first time I made beans years ago; we were picking gravel out of the finished soup. I picked out any discolored beans along with any that looked like rocks or were very shriveled. Then I rinsed them in the colander.
Place your clean beans into a stock pot and add in whatever ham broth you have left from roasting the ham and a quart of chicken broth. I don't soak my beans in water, I soak my beans in broth. "They" say not to add salt to beans when soaking because it will make them tough. I don't add salt because I figure the broth has enough salt in it and I have not experienced tough beans by soaking my beans in broth instead of water. I want flavor and to add flavor you need broth. Once the beans and broth are combined, I let them sit out for a couple hours, but they finish their soak in the fridge. IF there is not enough broth to cover the beans, add water.
You can add in your ham, ham bone, and sauteed veggies during the soaking or afterwards. I did this batch during soaking because I was right there and ready to take care of that part. The whole shebang went into the fridge.
The next day, set your pot on medium heat and get the broth up to a good simmer. Adjust your seasonings. Add water if the mixture is too thick. Then reduce the heat to low and let the beans cook until they are tender. You can then take out the ham bone and pick any meat from it and add the ham back to the beans. Package up the bone for the freezer because it isn't done making broth yet. Don't keep the bone in your finished dish.
Serve up your ham and beans with cornbread. The flavors are so complimentary.
I don't have a good recipe for homemade corn bread yet. I'm still using *gasp* Jiffy Mix..... (hangs head in shame) What's your recipe?