Spices, veggies, and smoked ham shanks are the ingredients of this navy bean soup. This soup is tasty and filling, perfect for the whole family.
It is best to prepare this navy bean soup on a lazy afternoon since, like with many bean soups, it cannot be hurried. A large pot of soup that will fill your body and spirit will be your reward for investing some time!
NAVY BEAN SOUP INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounces Navy Beans
- 1 pound Smoked Ham Shank, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion, finely diced
- 2 Carrots, diced
- 2 Celery Ribs, diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Spanish Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 4 cups Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Salt, to taste
HOW TO SORT NAVY BEANS
Sorting is the process of combing through the beans to eliminate those that don’t belong and any subpar beans. Occasionally, extraneous materials like stones or trash unintentionally end up packed with the beans.
Pour the navy beans onto a broad, level surface to sort them. You may also use a big chopping board, sheet pan, or kitchen towel on the counter. Sort through the beans after arranging them in a single layer. Take out any foreign things (such as tiny stones and twigs), as well as any cracked, distorted, or strangely colored beans.
There are always a few beans that are not up to standard, so don’t miss this step. In addition, I have frequently discovered little twigs and stones among the dried beans.
After rinsing the beans under cold water in a colander, remove the excess water.
AFTER COOKING, DO NAVY BEANS NEED TO BE SOAKED?
Whether or not beans need to be soaked is up for discussion. Some people argue that soaking doesn’t matter, while others maintain that soaking is necessary or they won’t cook as quickly. Me, I split the difference and apply the technique of fast soak. It has always functioned rather well.
Having said that, I do advise soaking the beans overnight or with a fast soak. The beans get hydrated by soaking, and I prefer having that advantage.
Method of overnight soaking
Fill a saucepan with the beans. Pour four to six cups of water over the beans. Soak them throughout the entire night. After fully draining the water, give the beans a thorough rinse in cold, fresh water.
Rapid soaking technique
(My favorite way) Fill a big saucepan with 6–8 cups of water and add the beans. Bring the water to a boil by placing the saucepan over medium-high heat. For two minutes, boil the beans. After turning off the heat, cover the saucepan and let them soak for an hour. After that, rinse and drain the beans.
HOW LONG TO COOK NAVY BEANS?
When preparing fresh beans, cooking times vary. The freshness and quality of the beans will determine how long they need to cook. The most we can do for every bean dish is provide an approximate cooking time. An hour is plenty at times. The beans may require more cooking time.
When using fresh beans, cook them according to the recipe’s instructions and taste a few to determine when they are done. If the beans are still firm, cook them for 15 minutes at a time, tasting them after 15 minutes to ensure they are the right consistency.
PREP WORK NAVY BEAN SOUP
This homemade navy bean soup requires some preparation effort, aside from selecting and soaking the beans. Prepare the ingredients while you wait if you’re utilizing the fast soak method.
- First, give the ham shanks a quick rinse in cold water and wipe dry.
- Chop the celery, carrots, and onions. Keep them in the same bowl since they will all go into the pot at the same time.
- Dice the garlic.
- Black pepper, paprika, oregano, and tomato paste should all be measured out.
Glass nested bowls are where we store all of our prepared items. They maintain order, which reduces the stress associated with cooking. We are now prepared to cook!
FORM A FLAVOR BASIS
Starting with a flavor basis is key to creating a good soup. While ingredients may vary among recipes, the basic idea is always the same: simmer veggies and spices slowly in oil or fat until they begin to soften. From there, you assemble the soup.
Sofrito, which is frequently used in Cuban cuisine, and mirepoix, a French-inspired blend of onions, carrots, and celery, are two examples of flavor bases. Here, that is where we are beginning.
In a big, heavy saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the heated, but not burning, oil. Stirring often, cook the veggies for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, oregano, and black pepper after that. Cook for one to two minutes, stirring often.
FINISH NAVY BEAN SOUP
Stir thoroughly after adding the water, chicken broth, navy beans, smoked ham shank, and bay leaf to the saucepan. It will take around 6 to 8 minutes to bring the liquid to a boil when you increase the heat to high. After that, stew the soup for 60 minutes while stirring from time to time over medium-low heat while covered.
Maintain the soup at a low boil or simmer. Reduce the heat a little bit if it’s boiling too quickly. As needed, adjust the heat.
Using tongs will make it easier to remove the smoked ham shank from the pot and place it on a chopping board or plate. Keep the soup covered and simmer it further.
Once the smoked ham shank has cooled down sufficiently, take the flesh off of the bones. Throw away the bones and any bits of fat. Return the chopped meat to the pot.
The navy bean soup should be cooked for a further fifteen minutes. Once a few beans are soft to the taste, the soup is finished.
Cook the beans covered if they are still a bit stiff. Once the beans achieve the right level of softness, check them around every 15 minutes. Stir the soup more often as it thickens to prevent the beans from sticking to the pot’s bottom.
Fish the bay leaf out of the soup with tongs and throw it away. After tasting the soup, mix it and add salt if necessary. To give you an idea, we increased ours by ½ teaspoon.
If preferred, serve the navy bean soup with a side of white or brown rice and a lovely slice of crusty bread.
HOW TO THICKEN BEAN SOUPS?
There’s a simple cure if your navy bean soup isn’t thickening. As an aside, this thickening technique also works really well with other bean soup recipes.
- First, let the soup boil for a few more minutes while covering the pot. The soup will begin to thicken as some of the liquid cooks off.
- Next, take out two to three teaspoons of the beans from the saucepan using a little mesh sieve.
- Similar to smashed potatoes, mash them with a fork in the sieve.
- Lastly, return that bean paste to the soup and thoroughly mix. Give the soup a little more time to boil.
- To prevent the soup from adhering to the bottom of the pot and to check its thickness, stir from time to time.
Cook’s Notes
If you have previously prepared this soup, kindly be advised that the following adjustments have been made to the recipe:
- We used four cups of chicken broth and four cups of water in place of eight cups of water.
- We used twice as much celery and carrots.
- Fresh oregano was replaced with dried oregano.
MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
- French Onion Soup From Scratch
- Simple Creamy Artichoke Soup
- Easy Beef Soup With Noodles
- Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup
Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Navy Beans sorted rinsed and soaked
- 1 pound Smoked Ham Shank rinsed and patted dry
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- 2 Celery Ribs diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Spanish Paprika
- Black Pepper to taste
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 4 cups Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Sort the beans to get rid of any extraneous materials (such tiny stones). I've discovered stones in dried beans several times, so don't omit this step. After thoroughly rinsing the beans under cold water in a colander, drain them.
Soak the beans – use the overnight or the quick soak method.
- Method for overnight: Put the beans in a saucepan. Pour four to six cups of water over the beans. Soak the beans for the entire night. After fully draining the water, give the beans a thorough rinse in cold, fresh water.
- For a quick soak, put the beans in a big saucepan with 6 to 8 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil by placing the saucepan over medium-high heat. After two minutes of boiling, take the beans from the heat, cover, and let them soak for an hour. Rinse and drain the beans. I've had good success with the fast soak approach thus far.
Prepare the smoked ham shank
- After rinsing with cold water, blot the ham dry.
Make the navy bean soup
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the onions, carrots, and celery after heating the olive oil. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Add the paprika, oregano, black pepper, tomato paste, and garlic. Cook for one to two minutes, stirring often.
- Stir together the navy beans, water, chicken broth, smoked ham shank, and bay leaf in the saucepan. Turn the heat up to high, boil the liquid, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring now and again.
- After taking the smoked ham shank out of the saucepan, transfer it to a chopping board. Keep the soup covered and simmer it further. Once the smoked ham shank has cooled down sufficiently, take the flesh off of the bones. Throw away the bones and any bits of fat. Return the chopped meat to the pot.
- The navy bean soup should be cooked for a further fifteen minutes. If a few beans are soft to the taste, the soup is finished. Cook the beans covered if they are still a bit stiff. After the beans have reached the right consistency, check them about every fifteen minutes.
- If necessary, taste the navy bean soup and add more salt. For comparison, we put ½ tsp into our soup.
- Extract the bay leaf and dispose of it.
Notes
- If you have previously prepared this soup, kindly be advised that the following adjustments have been made to the recipe:
4 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water were substituted for the 8 cups of water.
Carrots and celery were doubled (two of each, instead of one).
Fresh oregano was replaced with dried oregano.