Warm up on a chilly day with this easy, tasty navy bean soup with ham recipe. Packed with protein and flavor, it’s the perfect meal for any occasion. Serve this tasty soup with sweet potato cornbread or warm garlic knots.
Flavorful Navy Bean Soup
I have never met a bowl of soup I didn’t love, and this one is no exception. Packed with flavor from herbs and spices, this soup will make your taste buds dance. This recipe will satisfy you with plenty of protein from ham and beans. To make this soup super easy, soak your beans overnight.
Navy Bean Soup Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need navy beans, olive oil, yellow onion, celery, carrots, garlic, smoked paprika, dried marjoram, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, Cajun seasoning, chicken broth, bay leaves, ham bone, and fresh thyme for garnish.
How to make Navy Bean Soup
This soup requires a little advance preparation. First, add the beans to a colander in the sink. Rinse cold water over the beans and sort through them, discarding any debris. Then, place the beans in a large pot of cold water with at least two inches of cold water over the top of the beans. Allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours, then rinse and drain again.
Now, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the onions and celery are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, smoked paprika, dried marjoram, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, ham bone, and navy beans. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender. Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham bone from the soup, cut the ham into bite-sized pieces, discard the ham bone, and add the cut-up ham to the soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme.
Beth’s Recipe Tips
- For ease and quickness, use two (16-ounce) cans of navy beans, rinsed and drained. This will cut the simmering time down to less than 30 minutes.
- Great Northern Beans, Cannellini Beans, Pinto Beans, or white beans can be substituted for navy beans.
- Don’t forget to fish out and discard the bay leaves before serving, as they have sharp edges.
- Ham hocks, ham shanks, ham steaks, and ham bones all work well in this recipe. Ham steaks are prepackaged and sold with the other smaller cuts of ham at your local grocery store. I have always enjoyed using the Frick brand for many of my recipes, including Ham Steak with Honey Mustard Glaze.
- If you prefer this soup a little creamier, use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree a couple of cups of the soup after removing the ham bone but before adding the cut-up pieces of ham.
What to Serve with Navy Bean Soup
This soup is a well-balanced meal, but sometimes I like to add a little something.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power so the beans don’t explode.
To freeze, cool the soup to room temperature and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or freezer zipper bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
More Soup Recipes
Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb navy beans
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning optional
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ham bone, ham steak, or ham hock
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh thyme garnish
Instructions
- Add the beans to a colander in the sink. Rinse cold water over the beans and sort through them, discarding any debris. Place the beans in a large pot of cold water with at least two inches of cold water over the top of the beans. Allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours, and then rinse and drain again.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the onions and celery are soft.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, smoked paprika, dried marjoram, dried thyme, crushed rosemary, and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, ham bone, and navy beans. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, approximately 1-1 1/2 hours.
- Fish out and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham bone from the soup, cut the ham into bite-sized pieces, discard the ham bone, and add the cut-up ham to the soup.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme.
Notes
- For ease and quickness, use two (16-ounce) cans of navy beans, rinsed and drained. This will cut the simmering time down to less than 30 minutes.
- Great Northern Beans, Cannellini Beans, Pinto Beans, or white beans can be substituted for navy beans.
- Don’t forget to fish out and discard the bay leaves before serving, as they have sharp edges.
- Ham hocks, ham shanks, ham steaks, and ham bones all work well in this recipe. Ham steaks are prepackaged and sold with the other smaller cuts of ham at your local grocery store. I have always enjoyed using the Frick brand for many of my recipes, including Ham Steak with Honey Mustard Glaze.
- If you prefer this soup a little creamier, use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree a couple of cups of the mixture after removing the ham bone but before adding the cut-up pieces of ham.
Nutrition
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LeeAnn
We loved this soup! It was so delicious and filling. I served it with some cheese quesadillas and everyone really enjoyed it.
Maria West
This soup is so good! I can’t eat a meal without soup, especially at lunch time, so this is going in my recipe folder. I have to check out all your other soups. I bet I could find a bunch of delicious ones!
Beth Pierce
I sure do check them out right here!
Tessa Boyle
We’ve gotten our fist snowfall here and this was the perfect dish for this wintery day. So comforting and cozy! It hit the spot just right. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Tessa!
Savannah M
Beth Pierce’s Navy Bean Soup recipe is a must-try for chilly days! Packed with protein and bursting with flavor, it’s a comforting dish that’s perfect for any occasion. Plus, it’s super easy to make – just soak your beans overnight for added convenience. We loved it! Deeeeelish!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Savannah! So happy that you liked it!
Teresa S
This soup is delicious. We love anything with ham and beans. The spice blend was just perfect and the soup really made us feel warm on a chilly day. A great soup that we will make again.
Lillian Cook
The perfect comfort food for this snowy chilly day. It was hearty, flavorful, and easy to make. This is a keeper!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Lillian! We love it too!
Karey L
This was delicious and so easy to make. Thanks for the great new soup recipe. I love love soups and would have one daily if I could, especially during winter.
Beeb Turner
This was exactly what we needed this weekend! It’s so hearty and filling, and it made the cold of the upper Northwest so much more bearable!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Beeb! Hang in there! Spring is on the horizon!
Tisha Lane
Nothing like a hearty soup during the cold winter months that tastes great and fill you up! Thanks for the great recipe!
April F
This was delicious! Everyone loved it! I will make it again and again.
Camila D
The Navy Bean Soup was pure comfort in a bowl! It was so rich in flavor, especially with the ham hock. I appreciated the simple ingredients and easy instructions.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Camila! I am so glad that you liked the soup!
Eryn
So tasty and incredibly delicious! I made this and my family really loves it!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Eryn!
Sibyl
This was perfect dinner last night! My family enjoyed this yummy soup with a side of garlic bread.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sibyl! Glad that they liked it!
Georgia R
This navy bean soup sure hit the spot on this cold winter night. It was flavorful and hearty! Thank you!
Beth Pierce
You are most welocme, Georgia!
Melissa R
Wow – delicious! We loved this recipe.