Cooking with Ruth

Lesson 47

 NAVY BEAN SOUP

This easy stovetop recipe combines navy beans with smoked ham hocks, vegetables, broth, seasonings, and a secret ingredient at the end.

Ingredients:

Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here’s what you’ll need to put on your shopping list.

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 large carrots diced (optional)
• 2 stalks celery diced (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks okay if larger, score with sharp knife
• 6 cups chicken broth see note below
• 6 cups water see note below
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar to be stirred in at the end
• kosher salt to taste before adding salt. Depending on the saltiness of the ham, you might not even need any, but if you do add salt, start with a small amount and adjust after tasting.
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to make homemade navy bean soup.

Drain and rinse: Drain the navy beans and discard the soaking liquid.

Cook Soup

Sauté veggies: In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove top, sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in butter. Stir only occasionally to prevent burning. Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes.

Combine ingredients: Add rinsed soaked beans to the pot. Use a sharp knife to make cuts in the ham hock and place it in the pot. Add the liquid (chicken stock, water, vegetable broth – whatever combination you choose) and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen anything that may have stuck. Then, add the oregano, nutmeg, and bay leaves. Do not add the apple cider vinegar yet.

Simmer: Bring soup to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Do not cover. As the soup cooks and the liquid evaporates, heat may need to be reduced to maintain a gentle simmer. After about an hour of cooking, remove the ham hock and transfer it to a cutting board (look ahead to the next step). Cook until beans are tender, about 90 minutes to two hours. It may take less time depending on how soft the beans got after your soak.

Cut ham: As soon as the ham hock is cool enough to handle, cut any meat into small pieces and return to soup. Discard any skin, fat, and bones.

Add the secret ingredient: When the beans are completely soft and the soup is ready to eat, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste, and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Substitutions

Ham bones with some meat can be used instead if the ham hocks, if desired.

You need a total of 12 cups of liquid. I found equal parts of chicken broth and water worked perfectly, but you can also use vegetable broth in addition or in lieu of either the water or chicken broth. Any combination will work as long as the total volume is 12 cups.

I used only navy beans, but you can easily swap with a mixture of beans or pre-made mixes that can usually be found in the bulk aisle at the grocery store.

Storage and Reheating recommendations

Any leftover soup should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 3-5 days. This navy bean soup recipe freezes well if you’re into meal planning.
To reheat, thaw completely if it was frozen first. Then gently warm over low heat in a pot on the stove or reheat in the microwave in one-minute increments while stirring frequently.

There you go! 🙂

Everyone To Clean Up:

• Cleaning up stations. Wipe down all surfaces used tables, countertops, stove, microwave, refrigerator.
• Clean off all floors (sweep and mop) and vacuum surrounding areas.
• Unload (if there are any in the dishwasher) load dishwasher and wash containers and pots (hand washing dishes).
• Trash- take to the dumpster.
• Laundry (if there are some kitchen towels in the basket) and ect…

Thank you for coming and participating in the cooking class, with much love Mrs. Ruth ❤️… Have a wonderful day! 😊