Description
Make this simple, comforting soup using a smoked ham hock for deep flavor. It is a filling meal perfect for cold weather.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 smoked ham hock or bone
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the ham hock in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth and enough water to cover the hock completely. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to flavor the broth. Remove the ham hock and set aside to cool. Discard the bay leaf if you added one earlier.
- While the hock cools, heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Shred the meat from the ham hock, discarding the bone and any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the pot.
- Add the rinsed navy beans and the reserved broth back into the pot. Add fresh water if needed to cover all ingredients by about two inches. Add a new bay leaf.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.
Notes
- For a quicker version, substitute 1 pound of pre-cooked ham, diced, for the ham hock and reduce the simmering time after adding beans to about 45 minutes.
- If you do not have navy beans, Great Northern beans or cannellini beans work well in this recipe.
- To thicken the soup slightly, mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 14
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 35