Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup
Nana’s Epic Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup Recipe is a simple, yet utterly rich and savory, ham and bean soup recipe is a great way to use your leftover holiday ham bone or make on a chilly winter day!
Why We Love This Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup Recipe
Growing up with five kids in our family, and a string of tag-along neighborhood friends, my mom (now known as Nana) made a lot of meals that could either be stretched to feed extra guests, or could be eaten as leftovers.
My mom (now known as Nana) had a special gift for using her resources wisely. Nothing went to waste, ever. And one of my favorite childhood meals was Nana’s Epic Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup, i.e. navy bean soup simmered with a leftover ham bone.
Navy bean soup is rich, filling, comforting, and can feed a large crowd on a small budget.
This soup is especially good when you have a leftover ham bone from a holiday meal! Whether it was from Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, this ham bone navy bean soup is perfect as a nourishing meal following the days after a holiday. Today I will show you exactly how to use your leftover ham bone, to make the most of every last bite of flavor your baked ham can offer!
Ingredients You Need
- Dried Navy Beans – or other small white beans like great northern beans or cannellini beans
- Ham Bone + Ham Scraps – or a ham hock
- Olive Oil
- Large Onion – peeled and chopped
- Cloves Garlic –Minced
- Fresh Thyme Leaves – or dried thyme
- Ground Cumin
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Water – or chicken broth, but be sure to use low-sodium
- Salt and Black Pepper
Sometimes Nana (and I) add 2-3 chopped carrots, and 2-3 chopped celery stalks to the soup for additional veggie goodness. They are not necessary ingredients, but add a bit of extra color and nutrients to this navy bean soup recipe! If using, add the carrots and celery when you add the onions.
Pro Tip: If you didn’t have ham for your holiday dinner, you can buy a ham bone from the butcher for next to nothing.
Why should I add a ham bone to soup?
Adding a ham bone to soup is a marvelous way to create a rich depth of flavor, finish off the last scraps of ham left on the bone, and eliminate the need to buy added stock.
A ham bone boiled in water develops a lovely soup base on its own, because the bone itself will add flavor and collagen to the liquid, and the smoked meat will fall off and add salt and a lovely meaty flavor with literally no effort from you!
How to Make Nana’s Epic Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup
Start by soaking dried beans in water overnight to prep them for cooking.
This does take thought to prepare ahead, but it also saves money (on canned beans) reduces sodium, and gives the beans a better texture and consistency.
Place a large 6-quart pot or dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Next sauté the ham bone, onions, and garlic in a little oil. This browns the leftover ham and softens and sweetens the aromatics.
Then add in the soaked beans, herbs, spices, and water. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, covered, until the beans are very soft. Uncover and stir occasionally, then place the lid back on top.
Use a fork to pull any remaining ham off the bone and stir it into the soup. Discard the bone. Add 1-2 cups additional water if the soup is too thick. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Serve warm. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. You may even want to pair a jalapeno cheddar cornbread with this hearty soup.
Tips & Tricks
- You can add any additional vegetables, herbs, or spices you like to this navy bean soup with ham. Bay leaves would be a good option, or add extra ham scraps you might want to use up.
- If you don’t have time to soak your beans overnight, and you own an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, you can pressure cook the beans instead of soaking them to speed things up.
- Do not add any salt until the soup is fully cooked. Hambones have a lot of salt in them, and it’s easy to overdo it if you salt the soup too early. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Serving Suggestions
A bowl of navy bean ham bone soup is perfectly satisfying on its own, but you can also serve it with some side dishes to make it a more hearty meal! This is a great idea if you are feeding a large crowd. Try pairing it with some of my personal favorites:
See The Recipe Card Below For How To Make Easy Ham and Bean Soup Recipe + Video. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Store Navy Bean Soup?
You can freeze Nana’s Epic Soup in an airtight container or freezer bags for later quickie meals.
Even consider pureeing it into incredible bean dip with a blender to eat with tortilla chips.
Can This Be Made With Canned Beans?
You can use canned beans and it will reduce the cooking time, but honestly, it’s best with dried-soaked beans. It takes about 3 of the 15-ounce cans of beans per 1-pound dried beans. Drain the liquid well to reduce the sodium. You can even rinse the beans to make sure you get as much sodium off as possible.
Is There A Crockpot Version Of This Recipe?
You can make this recipe in the crock pot… And you do not need to soak the beans ahead of time! Saute the veggies on the stovetop until tender, then add everything to the slow cooker. Set on low for 10-12 hours, or on high for 5-7 hours. Then serve your slow cooker ham soup warm out of the crock.
Can I Use The Ham Bone More Than Once?
I usually just use a hambone just once. However, I have heard that if there is still meat on the bone and marrow in the center, you can wrap and freeze it for later use. Yet if you’ve “picked the bone dry” in a recipe, throw it out.
What If I Threw My Ham Bone Out?
You could make this with your leftover ham or you could buy a ham bone (or ham hock) from the grocery store. Or, try making my vegetarian navy bean soup recipe instead!
Looking for More Soup Recipes You Will Love? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Portuguese Caldo Verde Recipe
- Creamy Poblano Turkey Soup Recipe
- Slow Cooker Guacamole Soup Recipe
- Simple Egg Drop Soup Recipe
- Spring Pea Wasabi Soup Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Navy Bean Vegetarian Soup Recipe
- Rustic Ribollita Recipe (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
- Nana’s Creamy Potato Soup Recipe
- Ham and Potato Soup Recipe by Simply Recipes
Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, protein, fiber, and vitamin percentages.
Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 1 ham bone + ham scraps
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 10 cups water
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- The Night Before: Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with three inches of water. Soak the dried beans overnight (up to 24 hours) to soften. Drain when ready to use.
- Place a large 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add the oil, ham bone, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften the onions.
- Then add in the drained beans, thyme, ground cumin, crushed red pepper, 10 cups of water, and any remaining ham scraps. (Do not salt the soup until the end, because ham bones can be very salty.)
- Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 60-90 minutes, covered, until the beans are very soft. Uncover and stir occasionally, then place the lid back on top.
- Use a fork to pull any remaining ham off the bone and stir it into the soup. Discard the bone. Add 1-2 cups additional water if the soup is too thick. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Make this after every time I make a ham. Don’t want to waste that taste ham bone!
This is my go-to recipe when I have a ham bone available!
Loved being able to use my Easter ham leftovers to make this!
Wow! This soup looks so filling and comforting, love the ham bone!
My dad loved navy bean soup and I made this in honor of him! He would have loved every bite, too!
Great recipe…..I just made this today. Only thing I really did differently was instead of sauteing the bone with the onions/garlic, I broiled it instead to give it a char’d taste. Plus I felt like sauteing the bone is too much of a hassle because of the bone shape. I got the idea because in the video it looked like it was broiled too. =)
great soup !!!!!!
I made this unbelievable soup the last time you featured it on your site. Still have a portion in a freezer container. I used half chicken broth and half water plus celery and one carrot. Could not be a more satisfying meal on a cool night. Thanks for posting it again and a very Happy Easter to you and yours! PS. Black pepper cheddar biscuits go great with this.. just my opinion. Yum.
Hello Doris
The black pepper, cheddar biscuits sound great with the navy bean soup. Do you happen to have
a special recipe for that?
Hi Elaine,
If Doris doesn’t respond, we have a GREAT garlic cheddar biscuit recipe: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/red-lobster-cheddar-bay-biscuits/
Dear Sommer,
This soup looks delicious and it sounds like we both grew up in a large family. Coming home from school to the smells of dinner cooking and soups simmering….so great. I will be trying this recipe sometime this week. The ham is in the oven now!! Just have to get the beans. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, recipes, and tips to make everything delicious. Happy Easter to you and yours.
Have not made it yet, but, I can’t wait to. I grew up on bean soup and enjoy trying different spices in it. Thanks a million.
Made this today,doubled the recipe but cut the water to 6 cups per pound of beans for a total of 12 cups. That gave the soup the thicker consistency I was looking for. Great recipe.
Very good soup! I’ve never put cumin in my navy bean soup before, but I will from now on 😀
I used to love ham and beans when I was younger. I got very tired of eating them but, this recipe has brought it back to life and my husband and I absolutely love it! The thyme compliments the ham wonderfully. Thank you so much for posting this. It has put ham and beans back on our menu!
Can you do this soup in the Crock-Pot ?
Hi Shawna,
Yes, make sure to soak the beans and saute the veggies on the stovetop first. Then place everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
Delicious recipe
Great recipe , really simple, while that’s simmering gonna make some homemade cornbread ,thanks for a great recipe
You also need to sort through your beans before you cook them. I as a few tablespoons of White vinegar to give it a little punch. Enjoy 😃
Great flavor!!…but how would I thicken this soup?
Also, I may need to mellow the spicyness now that it is made. Any tips? Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
If the beans have cooked long enough, their starches should thicken the soup. You can always omit the crushed red pepper to remove the spicy heat. So very glad you liked it!
You remove some of the beans and puree them then add them back into the soup. Don’t add all of the amount of spices suggested, only half. You can always add more later. You can dice potatoes to put into your soup too. 😊
An easy way to thicken the soup is to add instant potato flakes. They can be found in any grocery store
I usually sauté some onions and garlic and sometimes bacon and then add couple tablespoons of flour to make a rue and whisk until nice brown color and then add it to simmering soup!
This is the second time I’m making this! And definitely not the last! Big hit in my house. Yummy, yum, yum! Thanks so much to the author of this blog and owner of this amazing Soup! Perfect for a snowy cold day!