Soups and Stews
Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup with Ham Bone
This is the kind of soup that makes the whole house smell like home. It’s thick, smoky, and incredibly hearty, using a simple ham bone to transform humble dried beans into a rich, velvety meal that sticks to your ribs without any fussy preparation.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 480 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 380 kcal
Method
Sort through the dried navy beans to remove any small stones or debris, then rinse them thoroughly under cold water. There is no need to soak them overnight for this slow cooker method.
Place the rinsed beans, ham bone, diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a 6-quart slow cooker.
Add the bay leaves, dried thyme, and black pepper. Pour the chicken broth over the top until everything is submerged.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours) until the beans are soft and creamy.
Carefully remove the ham bone and the bay leaves. Shred any meat off the bone, discard the bone, and stir the meat back into the soup.
If you prefer a thicker consistency, use a wooden spoon to mash a cup of the beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in.
Season with salt only at the very end if needed, as the ham bone and broth are naturally salty. Serve hot with a slice of cornbread or crusty artisan bread.
Notes
Wait to salt the soup until the very end; the ham bone releases quite a bit of salt as it cooks.
If you don't have a leftover ham bone, two smoked ham hocks work perfectly for that deep smoky flavor.
For an extra velvety texture, use an immersion blender to pulse the soup 2 or 3 times before serving.
Ensure your beans are fresh; older dried beans can take significantly longer to soften.
