This navy bean soup is my favorite way to use leftover Holiday ham! So hearty with tons of healthy veggies and flavorful with homemade ham broth and fresh herbs. And it makes a ton of soup for leftover lunches or for the freezer.
Why this soup is just so good....
- Don't we love using up leftover ingredients from one meal to create another delicious meal? It's a great way to save time and money. This soup is so perfect for using up cooked ham from a Holiday or large gathering. The meat is used as well as the bone, which makes fantastic broth.
- It makes a huge amount of soup. Since this soup is even better the next day as the flavors meld together, you'll love that it makes so many different meals. Also, there is plenty left over to freeze.
- Beans are so nutritious and full of fiber. And with the addition of all the vegetables, this soup is a lower carb, healthy meal.
Ingredient Notes
- The ham is from a butt portion with very little fat on it. You could also use a shank portion or whatever leftover ham you choose.
- Since we are using dry navy beans and not canned, the soup is lower sodium. If you do use canned, make sure you rinse and drain well. Some other options are Cannellini, Pinto or Great Northern beans.
Cooking Tips
- There are two main ways to presoak beans in preparation for cooking. According to NY Times, To soak beans the traditional way, cover them with water by 2 inches, add 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon fine salt) per pound of beans, and let them soak for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours. Drain them and rinse before using.
- The quick soak method allows you to make a pot of beans within a few hours flat without sacrificing flavor or texture. Put the beans in a pot on the stove, cover with water by two inches, add salt if you like, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let them soak for an hour. Drain, rinse and proceed with your recipe.
- Or you can decide not to presoak your beans. You would need to cook them an extra 1 - 2 hours to make sure they are soft enough. A good way to test is to press the beans with the back of a spoon. The beans should feel medium softened and will continue to soften as they cook.
FAQ
Some people prefer their soup very 'brothy' and some like a thicker soup. This soup is very hearty and filling with all the vegetables. But you may like it a bit creamier or thicker without adding cream or flour. The easiest way is to use an immersion blender to puree some of the beans and/or vegetables. You can do this while the soup is still in the pot. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a potato masher and mash by hand.
Since this is such a rich and filling soup you may not need to add much to the meal. We always love to have some type of bread or roll to dunk into the broth. Try Keto Corn Muffins or Keto Yeast Rolls.
Soup and salad is a pretty standard meal choice as well. You can try one of these salads with any soup; Butter lettuce salad, Red lettuce salad.
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Old Fashioned Navy Bean Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This navy bean soup is my favorite way to use leftover Holiday ham! So hearty with tons of healthy veggies and flavorful with homemade ham broth and fresh herbs. And it makes a ton of soup for leftover lunches or for the freezer.
Ingredients
- 1 pound white navy beans, rinsed
- 1 leftover ham bone
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 2 - 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
- 1 small red pepper, chopped
- 1 ½ cups red cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes *
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Determine your choice of presoaking the beans. I prefer the overnight method. Rinse beans, drain. Fill large soup pot with water to cover beans by about 2 inches. Let soak for 12 hours, rinse again and drain.
2. Remove ham from bone, chop and reserve about 2 cups. Freeze the rest.
3.To make ham broth for soup: Fill large pot with the 6 cups of water to cover bone. Bring to boil, turn down to low heat and simmer for 1 - 1 ½ hours. Discard ham bone and strain broth.
4. Heat olive oil in large soup pot and saute' the vegetables until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir well.
5. Pour in the ham broth, additional vegetable or chicken broth, ham, beans and herbs. Stir well.
6. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until beans and vegetables are cooked through.
7.Remove herbs and bay leaves, serve hot with bread for dunking.
Notes
* Before soaking the beans, look through them in a strainer and remove any little stones or hard bits in the pile of beans.
* Taste the soup before adding salt, pepper or red pepper flakes.
*Use low sodium broths since the ham is salty.
*The cabbage is added for making the soup a bit more filling and hearty, but still low carb. If you don't care for cabbage, simply leave it out, the soup will be still be healthy and delicious!
*The total time does not include the 12 hours 'overnight soak method'.
Keywords: hearty soup, winter soup, low carb dinner, leftover ham
Melissa says
Can you leave out the cabbage?
Deb Belsha says
Yes absolutely! The cabbage is purely optional for garnish or if you like a bit of crunchy texture. Definitely let me know if you try it, it is one our favorites and freezes really well.