The Very Best Navy Bean Soup

This really is the best Nave Bean Soup. It’s so very rich and full of flavor (because of my super-secret ingredient). Your entire family will be asking for more!

My family loves Navy Bean Soup. It’s sort of a joke around our house that every time I make this soup, my husband says, “I could eat this every day. Seriously, I could eat it every single day.”

I have a feeling he wouldn’t be so happy if I actually served it seven days a week, but it’s a pretty big compliment coming from him. He works for a world-class restaurant company, so when he loves something I make (and calls it “the best Navy Bean Soup ever”), I feel pretty awesome!

Honestly, this soup really is very tasty. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the beans are creamy and delicious. Plus, it’s super cheap to make, which is always a bonus.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Navy Bean Soup

This recipe uses dried Navy beans or Great Northern beans.  The Navy beans are traditional and smaller.  The Great Northerns are slightly bigger and tend to be creamer.  I probably like Great Northern best, but either one works well.

If you’ve never worked with dried beans before, don’t be intimidated.  They’re surprisingly easy to prepare using a couple different methods, depending on how much time you have.  

For any method you choose, you’ll want to start by rinsing and sorting the beans.  Basically, just dump them into a colander and run some water over them while you search for tiny rocks (yes, I’ve found some before) or yucky looking beans.

Next, dump the rinsed beans into a pot and cover with about two inches of water for soaking. Remember that the beans will swell as they soak, so be sure your pot is large enough for the amount of beans you’re using.

If you think ahead (which I rarely do), you can put the beans in the pot with the water before you go to bed and let them soak overnight, or you can start them in the morning as long as you soak them for at least eight hours.

Now, if you REALLY want to kick it up a ‘lil bit, you can sprout the beans. Which sounds kinda weird and like the kind of thing someone who wanders the woods eating tree roots would do, but I promise it’s also for the rest of us (and if YOU are one of those people who wanders the woods eating tree roots, pleeeease send us a recipe!).

To sprout the beans, you’ll still want to sort and soak the beans overnight, but you’ll want to do it two or three days before you plan to make the soup. When they’re done soaking for at least eight hours, drain them into a traditional colander or a mesh-strainer-style colander (my fave to use for this) and give them a good rinse. Then, set the colander of beans on a plate to keep them from dripping all over, lay a kitchen towel over the colander, and put it on the counter.

For the next couple days, rinse the colander of beans two or three times a day and return it to the counter. After a day or so, you’ll start seeing a little sprout pop out of each bean. When the sprouts are about a quarter-inch long, they’re ready to cook.

If it’s warm in your house, you’ll need to rinse more often and watch them a little more closely so they don’t spoil. And whether it’s warm or not, be sure to rinse them a couple times every day and do not use them if they start to smell yucky!

This has become my absolute favorite method of preparing the dried beans. They’re so much more digestible, and they take a lot less time to cook. So, with just couple minutes a day for rinsing the beans, it keeps all of our tummies happy. #winformom

BUTTTT….if you suddenly remember in the middle of the afternoon that your family is going to expect dinner in just a few hours (the nerve of them!) and you totally forgot to soak or sprout your beans, you can also use the “quick soak” method. 

To “quick soak” the beans, after you dump them in the pot with the water, put them uncovered on the stove over hight heat. Once they come to a nice rolling boil, set your timer for two minutes.  When it beeps, remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let them set for an hour.  

I also usually add a small spoon of baking soda to the pot right before I put on the lid because I’ve heard it reduces the gassiness. I don’t know if it works or not, but I figure it’s worth a shot.  (By the way, don’t be surprised when the water fizzes up as soon as the baking soda hits it.  The bubbling only lasts a few seconds.)

When the beans are finished quick-soaking, dump them in a colander and give them a quick rinse with cool water.

Now that the beans are all soaked or sprouted, it’s time to make the soup. First, dice a carrot and a stalk of celery.  I like to dice them pretty small, since they’re almost a garnish next to the star of the show.  

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in the bottom of your soup pot (this is my absolute favorite pot for making soup) and cook the veggies until they’re tender, but not browned.  

If you’re short on time when you’re starting to make the soup, you can hold off on cooking and adding the veggies.  I’ve often cooked the beans first and then softened the carrot and celery in a separate skillet before adding them to the nearly-finished soup.

Once the veggies are tender, add the drained beans to the pot and get ready to pour in my “secret ingredient.”  I’ve found that the very best way to have a flavorful bean soup is to use packaged or homemade chicken stock.

This soup is still pretty good if you use just water and cook it with a ham bone or ham hock (or even some bacon grease, in a pinch), but the chicken stock makes it so rich and flavorful that it might make you cry.  It’s worth trying if you’ve never cried over a pot of soup before.

Next, nestle a ham hock or ham bone down into the broth.  I always save the bone when I make my Simple Glazed Ham for a holiday dinner (freeze it if it’s not being used right away). A ham hock from the meat department will also do the job, and it adds a nice smokey flavor, too.

Then, turn the stove to high or medium-high and bring the pot to a boil.  Once it starts boiling, turn it down and let it simmer (just barely bubbling) for the next few hours.

You can leave it uncovered, cover it, or put a lid on it just halfway so the steam escapes.  I always forget what is the “right way” to do it, and I’ve never had a pot of soup ruin because I did (or did not) use a lid. Just follow your heart.

Stir the soup occasionally and start checking the beans for doneness after about an hour or so. If you’re using sprouted beans, they may only take about an hour and a half so you’ll want to watch them carefully. Beans that have been soaked but not sprouted may take up to three hours to fully cook. You want them be very tender and creamy.  Not hard and not mushy.  

If they aren’t done after checking them the first time, check them at half hour intervals. If you’re checking them early and often, you’ll know if you should turn down the burner, turn up the burner, or add a little extra liquid.  

When the beans are finally cooked, remove the ham hock or bone and let it set on a plate for a few minutes until it’s cool enough to handle.  Pick off whatever meat you can find and stir it back into the soup.

Finally, bake some Everyday Biscuits or slice some homemade French Bread (YUMMMM!), ladle this deliciousness into bowls, and surprise your family with the news that bean soup really can taste this good!

Here’s the handy dandy printable Navy Bean Soup recipe: