YaYa's Navy Bean Soup

This Navy Bean Soup is a true taste of Southern comfort, brimming with tender navy beans, smoky ham, fresh vegetables, and fragrant herbs. Slowly simmered to develop deep, hearty flavor, this classic soup brings warmth to any table and fills your kitchen with the nostalgic aroma of home cooking. Perfect for chilly days when you need a cozy, satisfying meal that the whole family will love. Serve it up with cornbread or a crusty piece of buttered bread and watch every bowl get wiped clean.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Southern

Keyword Navy Bean Soup, Southern soup, ham hock soup, hearty bean soup, family soup recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 350kcal

Ingredients

1 pound dried navy beans
4 cups hot water
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1 large carrot finely chopped
1 stalk celery finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
8 ounces thick-cut cooked ham diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 smoked ham hock optional but delicious
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Pick through the navy beans to remove any broken or discolored ones. Place beans and 4 cups hot water in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Cover and let soak for 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
While beans soak, finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Mince the garlic and dice the cooked ham if not done already.
Heat olive oil in the same pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring now and then, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the diced ham, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, dried thyme, and rosemary. Sauté for another minute until fragrant.
Add the drained beans back into the pot. If using, nestle the smoked ham hock right in the middle. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer gently, stirring every so often, until the beans are tender. This will take about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.
Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock if you used one. Stir in the unsalted butter until melted. Taste and season with extra kosher salt if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve piping hot with fresh cornbread or crusty bread on the side.