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Hearty Ham and Navy Bean Soup

A close-up bowl of hearty ham and white bean soup with carrots and celery, served on a wooden table.
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Make this hearty ham and bean soup using navy beans for a comforting, classic meal perfect for cold weather. This recipe uses simple ingredients for a satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

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  • 1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
  • 8 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 pound smoked ham hock or leftover smoked ham, cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste after ham is added)

Instructions

  1. Place the rinsed navy beans in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water or broth, ensuring the liquid is about 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until beans begin to soften. Drain the soaking liquid if you prefer a less starchy soup base.
  2. Add the ham hock or ham chunks, 8 cups of fresh water or broth, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to the pot with the partially cooked beans. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender.
  3. While the soup simmers, prepare the vegetables. In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
  5. Remove the ham hock from the soup pot. Once cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bone and discard the bone and bay leaf. Return the shredded ham to the soup.
  6. Stir the sautéed vegetables and garlic into the soup pot. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  7. Taste the soup and add salt if needed, considering the saltiness of your ham. For a thicker soup, mash about 1 cup of beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
  8. Serve hot. This soup is excellent with cornbread.

Notes

  • If you use dried beans that have not been soaked overnight, you may need to increase the initial simmering time for the beans.
  • For a richer flavor, substitute half the water with chicken broth.
  • If you do not have a ham hock, use 1 cup of diced smoked ham or bacon cooked until crisp before adding the vegetables.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingbyjade.com/ham-and-navy-bean-soup-recipe/