Creamy Navy Bean Soup
Submitted by LittleBug
Creamy navy bean soup simmers soaked navy beans with carrots, celery, tomato puree, and thyme, then finishes with cream and milk for a silky high-fiber bowl. A vegetarian, gluten-free comfort soup.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
220 minCOOK
40 minREADY
260 minA Creamy, Hearty Navy Bean Soup with a Tomato Backbone
This soup takes the right approach to dried beans: a quick boil and long soak instead of overnight planning, then a slow cook that turns them tender without falling apart. The recipe also gives soak times for lentils, split peas, and chickpeas, so it doubles as a useful chart for cooking dried legumes.
A quarter cup of tomato puree is the unsung detail that gives this bean soup its color and depth. It rounds out the flavors and adds gentle acidity that balances the rich cream finish, transforming what could be a bland bean broth into something layered.
Adding the cream and milk at the end and only heating to just below boiling is the technique. Boil the dairy and it splits, leaving a curdled, gritty soup. Bring it just to the boiling point and the soup stays silky.
Pro Tips
- Skim foam aggressively during the initial boil. The protein-rich foam can give the finished soup a muddy taste if left in.
- Use the bean cooking liquid in the soup as the recipe directs. It carries bean starch that adds body and bean flavor that water alone can’t match.
- Saute the aromatics until truly soft. Underdone onions and garlic taste raw and harsh in the finished soup.
- Pull the bay leaf before adding the cream. Once it’s flavored the soup, it has nothing else to give and shouldn’t end up in someone’s bowl.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse and drain beans; add triple their volume of cold water; bring to full boil, cover, and cook for one minute.
Skim foam while boiling. Remove from heat and let stand for two hours or longer.
After soaking period, drain and add fresh water; bring to slow boil and cook slowly to desired softness.
Approximate cooking time after soaking - Lentils about ten minutes; split peas about thirty minutes; beans about one hour; chick-peas about three hours.
Melt butter over medium heat in a soup kettle.
Sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent.
Add the carrots, celery, tomato purée, broth, bay leaf, and thyme.
Cook mixture until vegetables are very tender.
Shortly before serving, add beans with bean broth, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Bring soup to a boil.
Add cream and milk and heat to boiling point, but do not boil.
Serve immediately with whole grain bread.
Comments
This is the best navy bean soup. My dad used to make this for us but without the milk.