Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
- 10 sprigs parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 8 cups of cold water
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Butter for garnish
Directions
Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard.
Puree about 3 cups of the beans with a some of the liquid in a blender. (For a smoother soup puree all the beans.) Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Pour into heated bowls, place a small pat of butter on top of each soup, and serve.
- Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
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By jaimemcewen_120...
viera, fl
on April 02, 2013
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I loved this soup and my kids did too. I read the reviews before I started! I also used dried spices (2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. I doubled the carrots! It was great with bread.
By Ann&Joe
on February 10, 2013
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I had never made navy bean soup before. I tried this recipe and it was FABULOUS!!!!! The best soup I've ever made. I shared it with all my friends and they love it too. Thank you for a great experience.
By jgrana
on February 09, 2013
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Really enjoyed this soup. Great recipe. This was my first time to cook a navy bean soup so I read reviews and modified recipe to give it a bit more flavor. Like my soups thicker so I reduced the water to 7 cups. I used two cups worth of chicken bouillon cubes. I also like my spices so I used ~6 cloves of garlic, two bay leaves, a generous half teaspoon dried thyme, full teaspoon dried rosemary and other spices as described in the recipe, though I did not tie with twine nor use cheesecloth. I just tossed the spices in the soup. Doubled the carrots, used some of the garlic to sauté the carrots and onions in olive oil in a skillet (~10+ mins med low heat. Toss sautéed veggies in soup and follow the recipe.
Served with some garlic bread or Saltines for a scrumptious meal.
Read all 53 reviews