Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Soak the dry navy beans overnight in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Drain and rinse the next morning before adding to the slow cooker. (Skip the soak if needed, but use the full 10-hour cook time.)
- Add the soaked navy beans, diced ham, diced onion, carrots, celery, minced garlic, bay leaf, and black pepper to the slow cooker. Do not add salt yet — the ham contributes most of the salt and bean skins toughen if salted too early.
- Pour in the 6 cups of broth or water. The liquid should cover the beans by about an inch. Stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans are creamy and tender. Avoid lifting the lid more than once or twice — each peek loses about 15–20 minutes of cooking time.
- At the 6-hour mark, check bean tenderness with a spoon. Beans should yield easily when pressed but not be falling apart into mush yet.
- Once the beans are fully tender, remove and discard the bay leaf. For a thicker soup, mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker with a wooden spoon and stir back into the broth.
- Taste and season with salt as needed, starting with ½ teaspoon and adjusting up. Stir well and serve hot, optionally with crusty bread or a green salad.
Nutrition
Notes
Net carbs: 16g per serving (22g total carbs minus 6g fiber).
Substitutions: For a vegetarian version, skip the ham and add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke or 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika to keep the smoky character. A leftover ham bone or smoked ham hock can replace the diced ham for even richer broth — remove the bone before serving and pick off any meat to add back. Great Northern or cannellini beans substitute well for navy beans.
Storage: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers with 1 inch of headspace.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen — bean soups thicken substantially as they cool. Microwave single servings for 90 seconds with a stir at the halfway mark.
