Make this comforting Navy Bean Soup with a leftover ham bone from your holiday dinner. A hearty soup recipe loaded with creamy beans and vegetables in a homemade ham bone broth.
There are so many ways to turn leftover ham into a delicious meal! From a light Ham Salad to another comforting favorite, our Stove Top Split Pea Soup!
Why You’ll Love This Navy Bean Soup Recipe
We have a few go to recipes to make when we have a leftover ham bone. One is Pasta Fagioli, a family favorite, another is the Crustless Ham & Broccoli Quiche, depending on what your making it for.
Now we have another favorite to add to the list, this Navy Bean Soup recipe. Similar to pasta fagioli, or (Pasta Fazool) but there’s no pasta in this soup. This soup is so hearty and delicious, and it’s perfect for meal prepping and freezing.
How To Make
Start by soaking navy beans in a large bowl or pot overnight. Soaking beans helps to remove some of the sugars from the beans that are indigestible which is what leads to that little bit of gas you might get after eating beans.
How Do You Quick Soak Beans?
If you forgot to soak the beans, or are short on time, use the quick soak method. Rinse your beans in a colander and then add them to a soup pot. Add cold water to the pot so that it covers the beans by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans and use per the recipe.
- Cook the Vegetables: Add olive oil to a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook for 7-8 minutes until tender. Add chopped garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Add the beans, ham and herbs: Add the soaked beans into a soup pot or dutch oven along with the leftover ham bone, extra ham, fresh thyme, onions, and a bay leaf. Add 10 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes until the beans are tender, but not mushy.
- Remove the ham bone: Carefully remove the ham bone from the soup and place it on a board to cool slightly. Take any ham off the bone and add it back to the soup. Remove the bay leaf and any thyme stems. Taste for seasonings and serve
Can I Use Canned Beans Instead?
You can, but we really like the flavor and texture of using dried beans. When you make the broth using dried beans the flavor gets soaked up into the bean as it cooks and it’s really such a delicious way to make this soup.
But If you only have canned beans on hand, just add them in after the ham bone has cooked with the onions, herbs and water for an hour.
Variations
You can try adding many different vegetables to this soup, even if it’s not traditional to the recipe. Chopped broccoli, spinach or peas would all be delicious. If you need to clean out that vegetable drawer now is the time!
Stewed tomatoes or a touch of tomato sauce is also good, again not traditional to navy bean soup but make it how you like it.
Looking For More Soup Recipes?
- Slow Cooker Ham & Noodle Soup
- Beefy Tomato Soup
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Creamy Potato Soup with Italian Sausage
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Navy Bean Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeMake this comforting Navy Bean Soup with your leftover ham bone! A hearty soup loaded with vegetables in a homemade ham bone broth.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag navy beans, soaked overnight and drained (see note)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1–2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 leftover ham bone, with some ham still on the bone
- 3/4 – 1 pound leftover ham (depending on how much is left on your ham bone)
- 1 bay leaf
- 7–8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Add the ham bone along with the extra ham to the pot along with 10 cups of water, the beans, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Test the beans to see if they are tender. If they aren’t tender enough at this point, cook the soup for another 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the ham bone from the soup and place on a board to cool slightly. Trim off any ham that’s still on the bone and add it to the soup along with the extra leftover ham.
- Test for seasonings and adjust if needed. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems and serve.
Recipe Notes
To soak the beans: add the beans to a large bowl or pot and cover with cold water. The beans will expand so make sure to use a big enough container to hold them in, with plenty of water to cover the beans. Soak overnight and then drain.
Quick Soak Method: Add the beans to a large soup pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans and use per the recipe.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
