Description
Make a comforting, old-fashioned navy bean soup featuring smoked ham hock for deep flavor. This recipe yields a thick, soul-warming meal perfect for cold weather.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 pound)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust after removing ham hock)
- 1/2 cup diced smoked ham (optional, for extra meatiness)
Instructions
- Place the rinsed navy beans in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water by about 2 inches and soak overnight, or use a quick soak method (boil for 1 minute, then let stand covered for 1 hour). Drain the beans.
- Return the drained beans to the pot. Add the chicken broth and the ham hock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours, or until the beans are tender.
- While the beans simmer, prepare the aromatics. In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, thyme, and pepper to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock from the pot. Discard the bay leaf.
- Shred the meat from the ham hock, discarding the bone and any excess fat. Return the shredded ham meat (and the optional diced smoked ham) to the soup pot.
- Stir the cooked vegetables and garlic mixture into the soup pot. Simmer for another 20 minutes, uncovered, to allow the flavors to meld and the soup to thicken slightly.
- Taste the soup and add salt as needed. If you prefer a thicker soup, mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- For a quicker preparation, you can cook the soaked beans and ham hock in an Instant Pot on high pressure for 35 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release for 15 minutes.
- If you do not have a ham hock, substitute with 1 cup of smoked ham bone or 4 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp before adding the vegetables.
- If the soup is too thin after cooking, remove about 1 cup of beans, mash them, and stir them back into the pot to naturally thicken the broth.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 18
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 35