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Navy Bean Soup Recipe

Navy Bean Soup Recipe: Classic Ham and Bean Soup

Wholesome Cove
This navy bean soup recipe pairs tender dried navy beans with a smoked ham hock, diced carrots, celery, and onion, simmered gently until the broth turns thick and slightly creamy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 300 kcal

Equipment

  • Large bowl - at least 4 quarts / 3.8 L, for soaking the beans overnight
  • Dutch oven - 6-quart / 5.7 L or larger, with a lid
  • Chef's knife - sharp, for dicing the vegetables and ham
  • Cutting board - large enough to hold a pile of diced onion
  • Colander - for draining and rinsing the soaked beans
  • Wooden spoon - for stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot
  • Soup Ladle - for skimming foam and serving
  • Measuring cups and measuring spoons
  • Vegetable peeler - for the carrots
  • Tongs and two forks - for lifting and shredding the ham hock
  • Potato masher - or an immersion blender, for thickening the broth

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound dried navy beans - 450 g, sorted, rinsed, soaked overnight in cold water (8 to 12 hours), then drained
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 30 ml
  • 1 large yellow onion - about 10 ounces / 285 g, diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 2 medium carrots - about 6 ounces / 170 g, peeled and diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 2 stalks celery - about 4 ounces / 115 g, diced into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic - about 12 g, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme - 1 g
  • 1 smoked ham hock - about 1 pound / 450 g
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth - 1.9 L
  • 2 cups water - 475 ml
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1½ cups fully cooked ham - 225 g, cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) cubes
  • ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley - 15 g, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper - 1 g
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt - 3 g, starting with ½ teaspoon and adding more to taste at the end

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the soaked beans under cold running water and discard the soaking liquid. Dice the onion, carrots, and celery into ½-inch pieces, mince the garlic, chop the parsley, and cube the cooked ham.
  • Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat, then cook the onion, carrots, and celery for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add the drained beans, ham hock, bay leaves, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil, skim any gray foam from the surface, and do not add salt at this stage.
  • Reduce the heat to low, set the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and adding hot water if the liquid drops below the beans. Taste a few beans for tenderness.
  • Lift out the ham hock, cool briefly, then shred the meat and discard the skin, fat, and bone. Remove the bay leaves, return the shredded meat and cubed ham to the pot, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  • Mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot with a potato masher, or pulse an immersion blender 3 or 4 times. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the broth.
  • Stir in the black pepper and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, then taste and add more salt ¼ teaspoon at a time as needed. Stir in the parsley, rest off the heat for 5 minutes, and ladle into warm bowls.

Notes

  • Sort the beans on a light plate and remove pebbles, split beans, and shriveled ones before soaking; cover with about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of cold water since they roughly double in size.
  • If the soak runs past 12 hours, refrigerate the bowl so the beans do not ferment. For a quick soak, cover with 2 inches (5 cm) of water, boil 2 minutes, cover, and stand 1 hour, then drain and rinse.
  • Check the bag date on the beans; older beans can need 30 to 40 extra minutes of simmering.
  • Keep the simmer gentle and hold the salt until the end, since the ham hock and chicken broth both add sodium.
  • Use a heavy Dutch oven rather than a thin stockpot to avoid scorching the beans, and skim the gray foam as the pot comes to a boil.
  • Keep the beans covered with hot water at all times, and delay acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, or lemon juice until the beans are tender.
  • Mash only about 1 cup of beans rather than blending the whole pot, so the soup thickens while plenty of whole beans remain.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the ham hock and cubed ham, use vegetable broth, and add 1 teaspoon (2 g) smoked paprika with the garlic.
  • Cool the soup quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate up to 4 days; freeze portions up to 3 months, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) of headspace.
  • Reheat gently over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth, since the beans keep absorbing liquid and a hard boil turns the soup pasty.

Nutrition

Serving: 1BowlCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 20gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 800mgFiber: 9gSugar: 3g
Keyword classic ham and bean soup, ham and bean soup, ham hock soup, navy bean soup, navy bean soup recipe
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