Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Navy Bean Soup



This is another tribute to the glorious pig. Gosh I love ham, LOVE it. But it's not exactly something that we get a lot. Usually Christmas and Easter, but in all honesty I would have no problem fitting ham into our usual meal planning, especially if it means getting this soup on a regular basis. I've never saved a ham bone before, but not one to waste food, it seemed like the right thing to do. I really think the ham bone was the key to this soup being so amazingly delicious, that great ham flavor is so infused in the broth. I never thought I'd ever be so excited about a bean soup, but let me tell you, this will knock your socks off.


Navy Bean Soup
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups dried navy beans or 1 1/4 cups lima beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces salt pork, 4 ounces fully cooked chopped ham, or ham bone with meat attached
2-3 carrots chopped
2-3 celery stalks chopped
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups nonfat milk
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Place navy beans in large saucepan, add enough water to cover beans.

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour (Or, cover beans with water and soak overnight).

4. Drain beans and return to saucepan.

5. Stir in 2 1/2 cups water, salt pork or ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, oregano, salt, ginger, sage and pepper.

6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat.

7. Cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

8. Remove ham bone, scrape off any leftover meat and add to soup. (If necessary, add more water during cooking).

9. Add milk and butter, stirring until mixture is heated through and butter is melted.

10. Season with additional salt and pepper.

25 comments:

jor johnson said...

I'm sitting in our freezing cold basement reading this post wishing I could reach into the computer to grab a bowl for myself. Looks so good!!! We can't afford a ham now but the next time my mom feeds us one I'm going to rescue the bone from going into the garbage can to bring home and make this! :)

Jennifer said...

I could use a big old bowl of that right now!

Deborah said...

I needed this recipe after Christmas!! I made a ham, and used the ham bone to make soup after. The soup was ok, but nothing great. This one sounds delicious!

chow and chatter said...

wow wonderful soup send me a bowl

Pam said...

I love navy bean soup - this looks comforting and delicious.

Heather S-G said...

Tee hee, you make me laugh! Your love for the tasty pig is glorious ;P ...and I'm right there with ya. I think you're right, the bone is the key...releasing all that hidden flavor that would otherwise go to waste. Huh. As a kid, I never understood why dogs liked bones so much...mystery revealed!!!

Ann said...

Yum, that soup looks really good. i can almost taste the ham now. :)

Bo said...

Pig and bean soup...sounds great!

Anonymous said...

Ah this soup looks amazing! I love meaty soups.

Shelby said...

I'm definitely going to make this one! I have a ham in the freezer that I plan to make in the next few weeks and this will be great for leftovers and to take to lunch! Yummy!

Liz said...

I adore ham and bean soups. I may need to try this one!

Libby@CookingWithLibby said...

This sounds really good! I have heard of saving the bones off of hams and chickens and turkeys, but have never tried it. I can just imagine the smells of the soup as it was cooking. Yummmm! What a perfect thing to make in this cold weather :)

Melody said...

One of my favorite soups. Can't wait to try this recipe!

Kathleen said...

Oh man I love ham and bean soup!!! Yours looks soooo amazing!

Val said...

I too love pig like no other!! This soup looks great! I have never tried Navy Bean Soup before.

The Blonde Duck said...

I've always wanted to try this, but Ben won't eat pork!

Erica said...

The soup looks creamy and delicious but not too heavy. Beautiful work. And navy beans are so yummy :) Sorry I've been so MIA! I will finally have a post up tomorrow morning

Anonymous said...

YUM! My nephews old girl friend used to work at Heavenly Ham and would always bring me ham bones all the time - they broke up so I miss it!

Mary Bergfeld said...

It is hard to find a better winter meal than navy bean soup.than navy bean. Yours looks wonderfully filling and delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Reeni said...

Looks so warm and comforting and delicious! Sounds like the ham bone worked wonders on the soup!

Unknown said...

I love ham too! That soup looks delicious. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Sophia Lee said...

Ham is so expensive...but I agree with you. I LOVE ham too!! And it's SO perfect for soup.

So..where do you live again? I'll just invite myself in one day, can I? ;-)

Joanne said...

I avoided the ham in my split pea soup but I think I'm going to have to give into temptation with this one. It looks so delicious!

Brownieville Girl said...

Not only does this soup look delicious - but it is really healthy stuff too!!

Chris said...

Just bookmarked! I have a bone in the freezer just waiting to be cooked in this soup.