Category: navy beans

Classic Bean Soup

This classic bean soup recipe tastes irresistibly satisfying! It’s quick and easy, made in just over 30 minutes with canned…

This classic bean soup recipe tastes irresistibly satisfying! It’s quick and easy, made in just over 30 minutes with canned beans.

Bean Soup

Here’s a cozy bowl that’s so hearty and satisfying, you’ll never want to put your spoon down. Try this hearty and easy bean soup! This is my go-to favorite recipe, and Alex and I created it to use canned beans but taste like it’s been simmering all day.

Kidney beans and navy beans float in a savory, smoky broth of fire roasted tomatoes that has just the right glossy texture. Each silky, smoky spoonful is a bit of heaven. Plus, it saves well too!

Ingredients in this bean soup

Sure, there are bean soups with dried beans and crockpot recipes that simmer for hours. Those are great—but we also love fast and easy soups where you don’t need to think ahead. (That’s our vibe.) So, we created this classic bean recipe, which requires just over 30 minutes and 3 cans of beans. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Canned navy beans
  • Canned kidney beans
  • Fire-roasted tomatoes
  • Vegetables: yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Vegetable broth
  • Spices: Smoked paprika, cumin, fennel seeds, and salt

Tip: smoked paprika is key

Smoked paprika is key to the flavor here! It’s a Spanish version of paprika, often labeled as pimentón, and it infuses smoky flavor to dishes. It’s worth grabbing a bottle for this recipe, and you can use up leftovers in these smoked paprika recipes. The fennel seed is also essential, as it evokes a meaty flavor (since it’s often used in Italian sausage).

Bean Soup

Types of beans

Various types of beans work in this mixed bean soup recipe: really any three 15-ounce cans of beans goes! You can also use pre-cooked beans.

  • Navy beans are worth seeking out: their small size and buttery flavor is a great contrast to the larger kidney beans. You can substitute cannellini, but they are larger and can taste starchy. Think of using a smaller bean like pinto or black beans instead.
  • Kidney beans add a nice contrast in color and size. If you substitute other types, think about these contrasts.
  • You can also use beans cooked from dry. Just don’t use them dry in the soup: cook them first! One 15-ounce can equals 1 ½ cups cooked beans, so use 4 ½ cups total canned beans in this recipe.
Bean soup recipe

Find fire roasted tomatoes for best flavor

The best secret in this bean soup, besides the savory combination of spices? Fire roasted tomatoes. This type of tomato brings massive sweet flavor to soups and sauces, right out of the can. Here’s what to know about this variety:

  • Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s roasted over a flame before canning. They’re sold by several different brands; look for them in the canned tomato section in your local grocery. We like Muir Glen.
  • Fire roasted tomatoes taste sweet right out of the can. This means you can cook them for less time, which is always a pro in our book!
  • If you can’t find them, substitute the highest quality canned tomatoes you can find (like San Marzano). Simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer than specified in the recipe. You also may want to consider adding 1 teaspoon sugar if the soup still tastes bitter or acidic.
Bean soup

Storing leftovers

This bean soup recipe stores very well! Once you’ve simmered it up, you can save it for up to 3 days refrigerated. The flavor just gets better over time! (We were eating this one for days and it kept tasting even more savory and delicious.) You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Sides to serve with bean soup

Got a big pot of bean soup? There are many sides to serve with soup to make it a meal, from crunchy fresh salads to bread or muffins. Here are some favorite ideas:

Dietary notes

This bean soup recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. Often bean soups have ham or bacon added, but this one tastes great without the addition of meat since smoked paprika and fennel that infuse meaty flavors. If desired, you can also add a ham hock to the pot while simmering or up to 1 pound ham, chopped into small pieces.

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Classic Bean Soup

Bean soup
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4.7 from 11 reviews

This classic bean soup recipe tastes irresistibly satisfying! It’s quick and easy, made in just over 30 minutes with canned beans.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 23 minutes
  • Total Time: 33 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Soup
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 medium yellow onion, small diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 15-ounce cans navy beans*, drained (or substitute cannellini beans or pinto beans)
  • 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 quart vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Dice the onion, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
  2. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add tomatoes, drained beans, vegetable broth, smoked paprika, cumin, fennel seeds (crushing the fennel seeds with your fingers as you add them), and kosher salt. Simmer for 15 minutes**. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve warm: leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.

Notes

*Or, substitute any mix of 3 15-ounce cans of different types of beans. Navy beans are worth seeking out: the small size and buttery flavor is a nice contrast to the larger kidney beans. Or, substitute beans cooked from dry: use a total of 4 ½ cups cooked beans.

**The flavor should taste sweet and developed. If you aren’t using fire-roasted tomatoes, simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, and you may want to consider adding 1 teaspoon sugar to round out the flavors.

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More bean soup recipes

Many bean varieties make make a great soup: from black to white to garbanzos! Here are some of our top bean soup recipes:

Navy Bean Soup

This Navy Bean Soup with ham is hearty, cozy, super flavorful, and perfect on a chilly day. Easy to make and absolutely delicious!

The post Navy Bean Soup appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Y’all, I’m on a roll with these simple, cozy, soup recipes! I had one extra ham hock left over from making Split Pea Soup a few weeks ago, so I decided to test a simple Navy Bean Soup recipe. I used dry, uncooked navy beans because they’re more economical than canned beans and you can infuse a lot of flavor into them. Then I just paired the navy beans with some vegetables, a smoked ham hock, and lots of herbs and spices. The results…a hearty, creamy, and absolutely delicious navy bean soup! Trust me, you’ll be blown away by how flavorful this soup is and just how easy it is to make!

Overhead view of a pot of Navy Bean Soup with a ladle scooping some out.

INGREDIENTS FOR NAVY BEAN SOUP

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this comforting & delicious navy bean soup:

  • Navy Beans – We start things off with dry, uncooked navy beans. Navy beans are creamy and break down easily in the soup.
  • Vegetables – A combination of aromatics like onion, celery, carrots, and garlic are sautéed with a little bit of olive oil to add a great base layer of flavor and depth to the soup.
  • Ham Hock – Ham and beans just go together like peanut butter and jelly!😄 The smoked ham hock we used infused a ton of smoky, salty, flavor into the navy beans! We also tested this recipe with just regular diced ham, but it did not provide the same type of rich flavor as a ham bone. However, smoked turkey wings are a great alternative to use if you don’t want to use ham.
  • Spices – A combination of dried spices like thyme, oregano, and smoked paprika adds a rich color and wonderful flavor to the soup.
  • Chicken Broth – Make sure you use a good quality chicken broth as a lot of the soup flavor will come from the broth. We use Better than Bouillon for our broth.

Do I Need To Soak Navy Beans Overnight?

Although it’s not mandatory, we did soak the navy beans overnight to help soften the beans and speed up the cooking process. You could also do a quick soak method if you are pressed for time.

To do the “quick soak method” start by giving the dry beans a quick rinse with cold water in a colander. Remove any stones or debris that you see. Next add the navy beans to a large pot and cover with water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, continue to cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the beans to soak in the hot water for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans well before cooking!

Storing Leftovers

This navy bean soup recipe makes a big batch, so save the leftovers for lunch the next day or freeze for later. You can store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Or freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

Side view of a bowl full of navy bean soup with crusty bread on the side of the bowl.
Overhead view of a dutch oven pot full of navy bean soup with a ladle scooping some out.
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Navy Bean Soup

This Navy Bean Soup with ham is hearty, cozy, super flavorful, and perfect on a chilly day. Easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Total Cost $7.32 recipe / $1.22 serving
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings 6 (1 1/3 cups each)
Calories
Author Marsha – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. dry navy beans $1.29
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.24
  • 1 yellow onion $0.32
  • 1 carrot $0.15
  • 1 celery stalk $0.25
  • 2 cloves garlic $0.16
  • 1 ham hock $3.65
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme $0.05
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary $0.05
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika $0.05
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.02
  • 6 cups chicken broth $1.02
  • 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) $0.02

Instructions

  • Start by soaking the dry navy beans overnight. Place the beans in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. The next day, drain and rinse the beans.
  • Dice the onion, the carrot, and the celery stalk. Mince the garlic cloves.
  • Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a large soup pot or Dutch oven with olive oil over medium heat, until the onions are soft and translucent.
  • Add the soaked & drained beans, ham hock, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried rosemary, smoked paprika, black pepper, and chicken broth to the pot. Gently stir to combine all the ingredients.
  • Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and begin to break down (approximately 1.5 hours). Flip the ham hock over once or twice, while the soup is simmering, so that it gets even exposure to the hot liquid.
  • Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock and pull the meat from the bone, then add the ham meat back to the soup.
  • Now mash some of the beans against the side of the pot and stir the mashed beans back into the soup. Continue to simmer the soup uncovered for about 30 minutes to reduce some of the liquid and to thicken the soup further.
  • Taste the soup and add salt, if needed. I ended up adding 1/4 tsp of salt after tasting. The amount of salt needed will depend highly on the type of broth used. Serve hot with some crusty bread for dipping and enjoy!

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Overhead view of a bowl full of Navy bean soup with crusty bread and a black spoon on the side of the bowl.

How to Make Navy Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos

Overhead view of Navy Beans being soaked in water in a bowl.

Start by soaking the navy beans overnight. Place 1 lb. of dry navy beans in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. The next day, drain and rinse the beans.

Overhead view of chopped vegetables on a cutting board.

Dice one onion, one carrot, and one celery stalk. And mince two garlic cloves.

Overhead view of veggies being sauteed in a dutch oven pot.

Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a large soup pot or dutch oven with 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Overhead view of navy beans, hamhock, spices, and chicken broth being added to the pot.

Now add the soaked & drained beans, 1 ham hock, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 6 cups of chicken broth to the pot. Gently stir to combine all the ingredients.

Overhead view of cooked soup.

Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and begin to break down (approximately 1.5 hours).

Hamhock meat being removed from the bone on a cutting board.

Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock and pull the meat from the bone.

Overhead view of hamhock meat being added back to the pot.

Then add the ham meat back to the soup.

Overhead view of a few Navy Beans being smashed on the side of the pot.

Now mash some of the beans against the side of the pot and stir the mashed beans back into the soup. Continue to simmer the soup uncovered for about 30 minutes to reduce some of the liquid and to thicken the soup further.

Overhead view of Navy Bean Soup with parsley sprinkled on top.

Taste the soup and add salt, if needed. I ended up adding 1/4 tsp of salt after tasting. The amount of salt needed will depend highly on the type of broth used. Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley (optional). Now the only thing left to do is enjoy a big bowl of this cozy navy bean soup with some crusty bread for dipping and soaking up all that yumminess! Enjoy!

Overhead view of a bowl full of navy bean soup with crusty bread and a black spoon on the side.

More Cozy Soup Recipes

The post Navy Bean Soup appeared first on Budget Bytes.