The Best Ham and Navy Bean Soup ~ GF, low fat & high fiber - (2024)

This is without a doubt the best ham and navy bean soup I have ever made. It is incredibly simple and our absolute favorite way to use up leftover holiday ham.

Any leftover ham will work, spiral, honey, or smoked…it makes no difference.

Let’s face it our bodies need fiber! One cup of navy beans has a whopping 19 grams of fiber.
Not only that…beans are low in fat and a good source of manganese and folate.

If you haven’t made an old fashioned pot of beans you may not know about pre-soaking them. Modern ways say we don’t really need to do this. I’ve tried cooking beans without pre-soaking and I still prefer to do it. I felt skipping the pre-soak resulted in a gassier pot of beans (if you know what I mean) wink.

There are two ways to prepare beans before cooking:
Quick Soak Method:
Rinse beans and place in a large pot. For every 1 pound of beans (or two cups) add 6-8 cups hot water to the pot. Bring the water to a boil and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and cover. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain water from the beans and they are ready to cook.

Overnight Soak Method:
Rinse beans and place in a large pot. For every 1 pound of beans (or two cups) add 6-8 cups cold water. Let sit overnight or 6-8 hours. Drain water from the beans and they are ready to cook.

Instant Pot Method:

• It takes less than an hour including the sauteeing of the veggies to make this ham and navy bean soup in an Instant Pot.
• It is important to fill the Instant Pot just 3/4 or slightly less when cooking beans.
• Sautee everything except the beans without the lid for about 5 minutes.
• Add the beans and remaining broth and pushed the chili/bean button.
• Change the time to 20 minutes.
• Let it sit 10 minutes before releasing the pressure.

Shazam, dinner is ready!! The beans will be perfectly cooked.

**Please Note: I used the quick soak method prior to cooking the beans in the Instant Pot.

**Remember to check ham and chicken broth labels for corn and soy ingredients.

To Make The Best Ham and Navy Bean Soup You Will Need These Ingredients:

• Navy beans ~ not canned
• Ham cut in cubes (amount depends on preference, my husband likes a lot)
• Chicken broth ~ I suggest starting with 7 cups and adding more to the desired thickness.
  
• Onion chopped
  
• Carrots chopped
  
• Celery diced
  
• Minced garlic
  
• Bay leaf
  
• Black pepper and salt to taste

There are 4 WW points plus per serving of this hearty navy bean soup.

Try my ham and blended bean soup too, it’s a new favorite on my blog!

**By the way if you like this soup, I suggest you check out my own personal recipe for split pea soup…it has recruited even the “non-lovers” to now enjoy a bowl of Homestyle Split Pea Soup.