Make this comforting Navy Bean Soup with your leftover ham bone! A hearty soup loaded with vegetables in a homemade ham bone broth.
Scale
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
