Country Bean Soup
Submitted by obailey
Old-fashioned navy bean soup simmered low and slow with a meaty ham bone, onions, and bay leaf. Just 7 ingredients, feeds a crowd of 15, and freezes like a dream.
YIELD
15 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
10 hrsThis is the kind of soup your grandmother made on a cold Saturday morning, the kind that fills the whole house with that smoky, savory smell for hours.
Navy beans soak overnight, then simmer for three and a half hours with a meaty ham bone, chopped onions, and a single bay leaf until the beans are creamy and falling apart.
A quick mash thickens the broth into something velvety while still leaving plenty of whole beans for texture. The ham gets pulled from the bone, shredded, and stirred back in.
It makes a massive batch that serves 15, and it freezes beautifully at the mash stage, so you can pull out a portion weeks later and have dinner ready with barely any effort.
Kitchen Tips
- A meaty ham bone is the soul of this soup. Ask your butcher for one with plenty of meat still clinging to it
- The quick-soak method works if you’re short on time: boil 2 minutes, then let the beans sit covered for 1 hour
- Mash only some of the beans against the side of the pot so you get both creamy broth and whole bean bites
- When reheating from frozen, add water gradually until you reach your preferred consistency
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and pick over beans.
Add to water. Cover and soak over night or boil 2 minutes and soak 1 hour.
Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until beans are tender for 3 to 3½ hours. Remove bone and bay leaf.
Mash beans lightly.
Cut meat off the bone and put it back into the soup. Can be frozen at this point.
To serve, add enough water to make a soupy consistency.
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