Name: Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Ham
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 pound dried navy beans; 1 medium yellow onion; 2 large carrots; 1 stalk of celery; 3 medium to large cloves of garlic; 2 tablespoons of vegetable, canola, or extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon of butter; Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicy!); 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried ground thyme); 3 bay leaves; Salt and pepper; 6 cups chicken broth (or better than bouillon chicken base mixed with water - see link below); 8 - 12 ounces cooked ham cut into large chunks (see note); A couple of ham hocks or ham shanks (see note); 2 ounces (a generous half cup) of shredded parmesan cheese + plus more for serving; 1 packed cup of Italian (flat leaf) parsley; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

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Oh, but this creamy navy bean soup is so, so good. It's hearty, meaty, and more flavorful than bean soup has any business being.

Do you know the kind of person who thinks soup isn't a meal? Make this for them and they will change their mind. Guaranteed.

"I made this last weekend and OMG! So good. I don't even like beans normally." - Holly

A wood bowl filled with navy bean soup next to a bowl of herb oil.

I have fond memories of eating canned navy bean soup as a child and absolutely loving it. When I went with my mom to the grocery store and she let us pick a couple cans of soup, navy bean and split pea were always my top two choices.

With those memories in mind, I purchased a couple cans of soup a few years back - navy bean and split pea - and learned that some memories are better left in the past. 😂

Just like those packages of highly processed sugary snack cakes, the canned soup of my childhood just doesn't taste as good as I remember it. Thankfully, both split pea soup and navy bean soup are not difficult to make and infinitely better than the canned variety.

In this recipe, some of the beans are pureed with a handful of parmesan cheese to create a rich and creamy broth with a complex flavor that's umami rich (translation: so much flavor!).

The soup also includes plenty of ham which cooks low and slow with the beans until it's literally falling apart. (If you're vegetarian or vegan, scroll down for how to make it just as good without the meat or parmesan.)

And, if you like, you can stop there. OR, and hear me out here, you can top your soup with a drizzle of parsley oil and more grated parmesan. (You should do this.)

The bright fresh flavor of the fresh parsley cuts through this creamy, rich soup and the extra parmesan deepens all the rich savory flavors swimming around in there. And anyway, do I really need to convince you that creamy navy bean soup is even better with more cheesy goodness? I didn't think so.

-Rebecca

A bowl filled with navy bean soup topped with herb oil and parmesan cheese.

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Step-by-step photos and instructions
Do you have to soak the beans?
What's the best kind of ham to use in this soup?
Substitutions and additions: How to make vegan or vegetarian navy bean soup
What to serve with navy bean soup
Freezing and storage instructions
More hearty soup recipes
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Step-by-step photos and instructions

A colander filled with dried navy beans that have been soaked overnight and then rinsed.

After soaking the beans, pour them into a colander to drain and then give them a good rinse.

Chopped celery, carrots, onion, and garlic on a wood cutting board.

Finely chop celery, carrots, a yellow onion, and a few cloves of garlic.

Someone using a wooden spoon to stir diced carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in a large stock pot.

Add them to a large stock pot and cook in oil and a pat of butter until they are soft.

Someone using a wooden spoon to stir thyme and bay leaves into diced vegetables cooking in a stock pot.

Add some dried thyme, a couple of bay leaves, and some salt and pepper.

Large chunks of ham on a wood cutting board.

Cut your piece of cooked ham into large chunks.

Add the ham and dried beans to the stock pot and bring to a boil.

Add the ham to the soup pot along with some ham hocks or ham shanks, chicken broth and the navy beans. Cover the pot and let everything simmer until the beans are tender. This will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Be patient. It's worth it, I promise.

Ladle some of the beans and broth into a blender and add some shredded parmesan cheese. Blend until smooth then stir it back into the soup.

Shred the ham, removing all the bones, and add that back to the soup.

A small wooden bowl filled with parsley oil.

Add some fresh Italian flat leaf parsley to the blender along with some extra virgin olive oil. Blend until smooth.

A bowl of navy bean soup with ham topped with herb oil and shredded parmesan cheese.

Serve the creamy soup with a drizzle of parsley oil and some additional shredded parmesan cheese.

Do you have to soak the beans?

In short, yes. Soaking navy beans before cooking them is important. Here's why:

It reduces the cooking time
Creates a slightly better texture, with fewer split-open and burst beans
It makes them a bit more digestible

Really, it's that third reason that is the most important one for many people. If you have a particularly difficult time digesting beans, soaking them for a few hours before cooking them can make a difference.

But even if you don't have a hard time digesting beans, using dried beans that haven't been pre-soaked will double the cooking time of this soup at which point the ham and vegetables will be considerably overcooked.

Also, presoaking dried beans is super easy. There are two options for pre-soaking the navy beans for this soup:

The overnight soak: Dump them into a large bowl and add enough water to cover the beans by at least 3 inches. Leave them to soak for about 12 hours (and up to 24 hours), then rinse and proceed with the recipe.
Quick soak: Dump the beans into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Cover the pan and let the beans soak for 1 hour, then proceed with the recipe.

What's the best kind of ham to use in this soup?

There are two kinds of ham in this soup:

Cooked ham
Ham shanks or ham hocks

For the cooked ham, you want an 8-12 ounce chunk of ham that has not been sliced. In many supermarkets, you'll find small-ish pieces of unsliced ham in the meat section. You can also just ask the person at the deli counter to cut a piece of ham without slicing it.

Cooking large-ish chunks of ham instead of small pieces allows the meat to simmer along with the beans, getting super tender and flavoring the broth without over cooking.

Ham hocks and ham shanks are both bony cuts of fatty meat taken from the legs and near the feet of the pig. Either work well in this recipe but shanks are generally more meaty. You can also use packages labeled "ham for beans", which is typically a ham shank.

Substitutions and additions: How to make vegan or vegetarian navy bean soup

To make a vegetarian or vegan navy bean soup, omit the ham and the parmesan cheese and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

In this recipe, parmesan cheese contributes layers of salty, complex, umami flavors. But parmesan is made from animal rennet and is therefore not vegetarian (and definitely not vegan).

So, here are some good substitutions include:

Shiitake or oyster mushrooms. Both of these mushroom varieties are a great source of umami and will also give this soup some meaty texture. If the mushrooms are dried, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes, then chop and add to the soup along with the carrots, celery, and onions. Strain the soaking liquid and add that to the soup along with the broth. (If they are fresh, there's no need to soak. Just chop and add to the pan along with the carrots, celery, and onions.)
White button or cremini mushrooms can also contribute umami and a meaty texture, but I think it's best to roast them before adding them to the soup to concentrate their flavor. Chop the mushrooms into small pieces and toss with some vegetable, canola, or extra virgin olive oil. Spread them out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast in a 425 degree oven until they are dark, well-reduced, and slightly crisp, about 35 minutes. Stir them into the soup after it's been simmering for about an hour. (By the way, this method of roasting mushrooms to concentrate their flavor is also used to make the best mushroom ragù ever.)
Vegan oyster sauce. Vegan oyster sauce is packed with complex, savory, umami flavor and a great substitute for parmesan. Add a few dashes along with the broth. When the beans are tender, taste the soup and add more if you like. I especially like to use this ingredient in addition to mushrooms.
Fermented soybean paste/ soy sauce. Fermented soybean sauces (which includes soy sauce) and condiments are available in Asian markets and are a delicious way to amp up the savory, umami rich notes in this soup. Fermented black beans are actually black soy beans and are richly flavorful.
Roasted vegetables. Roasting almost any kind of vegetable increases the umami flavor of the vegetable. In this soup, roasted cabbage or roasted celery root are delicious additions. Add them after the soup is done cooking.

What to serve with navy bean soup

I made the very pan of dinner rolls that you see in this photo so that I could snap a couple of photos of a bowls of soup AND a dinner roll. After happily snacking on a roll WHILE taking photos of the soup, I ate the soup in the photos, cleaned up, and went on with my evening.

It was not until editing the photos later that I realized I had not taken one single photo of the soup with the rolls.

This, by the way, should in no way deter you from making the rolls. Or the soup. They are meant to be together.

A pan of dinner rolls, freshly baked and still warm.

Here's where you'll find the homemade dinner roll recipe. I have been making these rolls for literal decades. They are simple to make, soft and buttery, and so, so delicious with warm bowls of navy bean soup.

Another great option is flaky buttermilk biscuits, because I mean, is there a soup in existence that is not made better by biscuits??? Of course not.

A plate piled high with warm homemade buttermilk biscuits.

Freezing and storage instructions

This soup will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This is exceedingly good news if you make enough for leftovers because reheated navy bean soup for lunch or a quick dinner is just as good and maybe better than the night you made it.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Ladle soup that has cooled to room temperature into an airtight container and pop it into the freezer. Allow the soup to defrost in the refrigerator overnight then reheat gently on the stovetop.

How to reheat soup: If you are reheating soup bowl by bowl, simple heat it in the microwave, stopping to stir every minute or so until it's hot enough for your liking. If you are reheating soup for more than just you, just dump it into a saucepan and set it over medium low heat. Stir the soup often to ensure that the bottom doesn't burn and let it cook until it's hot all the way through.

Someone lifting a spoonful of navy bean soup with ham from a bowl.

More hearty soup recipes

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!

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Yield: 6 main dish servings

Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Ham

Oh, but this creamy navy bean soup is so, so good. It's hearty, meaty, and more flavorful than bean soup has any business being.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound dried navy beans
1 medium yellow onion
2 large carrots
1 stalk of celery
3 medium to large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of vegetable, canola, or extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicy!)
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (1 teaspoon dried ground thyme)
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
6 cups chicken broth (or better than bouillon chicken base mixed with water - see link below)
8 - 12 ounces cooked ham cut into large chunks (see note)
A couple of ham hocks or ham shanks (see note)
2 ounces (a generous half cup) of shredded parmesan cheese + plus more for serving
1 packed cup of Italian (flat leaf) parsley
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Prep time above does not include time to soak the beans but it is important to soak the beans before using. (Scroll up for more information about why pre-soaking is important.) Here are two options for pre-soaking beans:

Overnight soak: Add the dried beans to a large bowl and add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Let the beans soak in the liquid (at room temperature) for 12-24 hours. Drain and rinse in a colander inside the sink before using.
Quick soak: Dump the beans into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Cover the pan and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse in a colander inside the sink before using.

After soaking the beans, prepare the soup:

Chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into small pieces. Add the oil and butter to a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoons of ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of salt to the vegetables. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
Add the chicken broth, the chunks of cooked ham, the ham hocks or ham shanks, and the navy beans. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pan, and cook until the beans are soft and tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Remove the ham hock and the chunks of ham, setting them on a plate or in a bowl. Let them rest until they are cool enough to handle.
In the meantime, ladle 2 cups of the soup (be sure to include both beans and broth) into a blender. Add 2 ounces of parmesan cheese and blend until completely smooth. Stir the puree back into the soup.
Rinse out the blender and add the parsley and ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until the parsley is very finely chopped. Use a spatula to scrape the parsley oil out into a small bowl.
Use your fingers to shred the ham into bite-size pieces and add them back to the soup. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired (how much salt you need will depend on how salty your chicken broth is).
Serve bowls of soup drizzled with parsley oil and sprinkled with additional parmesan.

Notes

Ham hocks and ham shanks are both bony cuts of fatty meat taken from the legs and near the feet of the pig. Either work well in this recipe but shanks are generally more meaty. You can also use packages labeled "ham for beans", which is typically a ham shank.
For the cooked ham, you want an 8-12 ounce chunk of ham that has not been sliced. In many supermarkets, you'll find small-ish pieces of unsliced ham in the meat section. You can also just ask the person at the deli to cut a piece of ham without slicing it.
Scroll up for information on making this soup ahead, reheating it, storing, and freezing it.