I think we’re experiencing one of the last cold spells of the year here in Louisiana, so I wanted to make one last hearty, soul-warming soup. This Navy Bean Soup was incredibly easy, but boasts huge flavor and major filling power. In short, it’s AWESOME. With tons of flavor, fiber, and vegetables, this is definitely going to be one of my go-to winter soups from now on!
Rich Navy Bean Soup with Smoked Sausage and Spinach
No Bouillon Necessary
Lately I’ve been trying to ween myself off of my bouillon crutch. I usually use chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon brand) to add oomph to my soups and just make the whole process super easy and flavorful. What I’ve found recently, though, is that I really enjoy the subtly of broths made simply by the vegetables and herbs that I use in the soup. Plus, this way you can be in complete control over the sodium.
Do I Have to Use Smoked Sausage?
I used smoked sausage in this soup, but there are a couple of options if you don’t want to use sausage. You can substitute the sausage with bacon (about 6 ounces should do), or you can use a smoked ham hock. The ham hock doesn’t need to be sautéed, just add it in when with the beans, herbs, and water. If you want to do a vegetarian version, just add a little liquid smoke to give the broth that nice smokey depth. The vegetables and herbs should add all of the flavor that you need!
Can I Use a Different Type of Bean?
Navy beans are a good choice for this white bean soup because they break down as they cook and make the soup deliciously creamy. Another good white bean would be Great Northern Beans because they also tend to break down well during the cooking process. Cannellini beans, which are larger and tend to hold their shape, might not work as well. I’ve also made similar soups using black eyed peas (see Slow Simmered Black Eyed Peas and Greens).
Freeze The Leftovers
This recipe makes a huge batch, but it can be easily halved, or you can freeze half for later. If freezing your soup, make sure to divide it into single portions right after cooking (so it cools quickly), cool it completely in the refrigerator overnight, then transfer to the freezer the next day. And make sure to label and date the containers! :)
Navy Bean Soup with Smoked Sausage and Spinach
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 14 oz smoked sausage ($2.79)
- 1 medium onion ($0.36)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb carrots (about 3) ($0.50)
- 3 stalks celery ($0.60)
- 1 lb dry navy beans (2 cups) ($1.69)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary ($0.03)
- to taste freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 8 cups water ($0.00)
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach ($0.50)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt ($0.07)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar ($0.02)
Instructions
- The night before, sort through the beans to remove any stones or debris. Place the beans in a bowl and cover them with cool water. Allow the beans to soak in the refrigerator over night.
- Slice the sausage in to medallions and add them to a large soup pot along with one tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about five minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
- While the sausage is browning, dice the onion, carrot, and celery into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the soup pot after the sausage fat has been drained off. Saute for about five minutes more. The moisture released by the vegetables will dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot.
- Drain the soaked beans and give them a good rinse with fresh water. Add the rinsed beans to the pot along with the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, some freshly cracked pepper, and 8 cups of water. Stir everything to combine. Turn the heat up to high and allow the soup to come up to a full boil.
- Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the soup to gently boil for two hours, with the lid in place. You want the beans to go past the point of tenderness to the point where they are falling apart. Stir the pot occasionally.
- After gently boiling for a couple of hours, use a large wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will help thicken the soup. Stir in the fresh spinach until wilted. Season the soup with salt. Start with just a 1/2 teaspoon at a time and add more until it is to your desired saltiness (I used 1/2 tablespoon total). Lastly, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Navy Bean Soup – Step By Step Photos
The night before making the soup, add the beans to a large bowl and cover with 2x the amount of water. Allow them to soak in the refrigerator overnight.
The soup starts with these ingredients. They all come together with a few herbs to make a wonderfully flavorful broth without any bouillon. Oh yeah, start soaking the beans the night before.
Cut the sausage into medallions and brown it with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Pour off the excess fat.
While the sausage is browning, dice the onion, carrot, and celery into small pieces. This soup is totally veggie-licious, but I didn’t want it to be too chunky, so I cut all of them into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Add the vegetables to the pot with the sausage and saute for about five more minutes. The moisture will help dissolve all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot (aka “flavor”).
Rinse and drain the soaked beans. Add the rinsed beans, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and some freshly cracked pepper to the pot.
Add 8 cups of water and stir until everything is combined. Turn the heat up to high and bring the pot up to a full boil. Having a lid in place will help it come to a boil faster.
Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it gently boil for two hours with the lid in place. This long boiling process will help the beans break down, but you’ll want to use your spoon to smoosh some of the beans against the wall of the pot. After you start doing that, the soup will really start to thicken up.
Stir in the fresh spinach until it’s wilted. Lastly, season the soup with salt and about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Serve hot!
Yum! So hearty, so easy, SO delicious!
I’ve made this about five times over the past few months and it’s delicious and filling every time! I, like other commenters, wasn’t quite able to thicken the soup to the degree that I’d like so I’ve started adding about 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream to the mix at the end of the cooking time. It gives the soup a nice creaminess.
did you cook them in a cast iron pot?
Yes, I did, but you could use any heavy large pot or dutch oven.
Great soup! Not only did it smell awesome cooking for two hours, but it also added much needed moisture to my winter dry home. Oh, and it tasted delicious too! It also froze well…I’m having delicious, hearty lunches. This was my first time using dried beans and it was such a success I’m going to try black beans next. Thanks Beth!
Oops! I used 1 T vinegar instead of 1t!! It was a bit vinegary but we still ate it. I mashed about a cup of the beans but the soup did not thicken up. I followed the recipe almost exactly – I used a bit more veggies than what was called for (for instance the whole pound of carrots).
Just made this, put a couple dallops of sour cream in this, you wont regret it
I made this over the weekend and didn’t have time to soak the beans so I just added about 1-1.5 hours on low to the start of the cooking process(I also cut my carrots a little thicker than I wanted to account for disintegration) and it turned out great. I do feel like something is missing from this soup and I just can’t put my finger on it. Good recipe though!
I also wanted to ask you how you felt the apple cider vinegar contributed to this recipe??
Made this tonight! WOW!! Followed this exactly and it turned out just like the pictures plus it tastes great. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, thanks for sharing!!!
Can you use can beans? And if so when would put them in?
Yes, you can. You’ll want to use about 3 15-oz. cans and add them at the same point in the recipe as I added the dry beans. The only difference is that you’ll only need about half the amount of water (4 cups instead of 8) and you won’t need to simmer the soup for 2 hours, just long enough to heat it through.
Thanks so much! I didn’t see the previous post with the same question :)
Hi Beth!
I would love to use black eyed peas along with the navy bean; do you think it will throw off the taste? The recipe sounds so delish…..i want black eyed peas for the new year. thanks!
I think that would be great! :)
In a pinch, (I don’t have the beans to soak overnight) would it need to be modified much if I used canned? I’d love to make this tomorrow. It’s soup weather in Ohio : )
Yep, you’ll just want to reduce the amount of water added by at least half, since the beans won’t be absorbing any. :)
Thank you, Beth. So glad I found your blog! Your sweet potato and kale salad hooked me.
Hello! I am planning to make this recipe this evening but was going to used canned beans since I don’t have time to soak dried beans. How many cans or cups of canned beans would you use in place of dried? Thank you!
I would do three 15oz. cans (drained) and reduce the water to six cups. :)
Would frozen spinach work?
Yep, the texture will be a little bit different, but it will still be great.
Thank you! We love, love, love this soup!! I adore soup, but my family gets tired of it, but not this one. I have been making it weekly since cool weather came upon us, and it is always a huge hit – with everyone asking for more. :D
I did add green pepper to the veggie mix – for more veggie yumminess. I also used potassium chloride in place of salt, because my hubby is on a low salt diet, and it still tastes awesome!
I LOVE this recipe, because you can make it with most any bean-meat-green combo. Tonight it was hot pork sausage, kidney beans, and mustard greens. Love. It.
Hi there :) Could this be cooked in a crockpot?
Probably, yes, but you’ll want to cook the sausage in a skillet or something first to get that nice browning action.
I made this in a crock pot today! I browned the sausage and veggies, then put them in a bowl in the fridge before I went to bed. I already had six cups of soaked navy beans in the freezer, so those thawed over night. Then in the morning before work, I added the beans, veggies, sausage, and spices along with five cups of water and a bit of veggie bouillon to the crock pot, set it in low, and left for work. It was ready to eat when I got home.
Hi Beth,
This soup looks delicious. I’m going to try it with some black-eyed peas and garlic-basil pork sausage. How much does your recipe make? And what size pot did you cook it in?
Cheers,
Michael
That’s about a 6 qt cast iron dutch oven that I used, so most large stock pots will do just fine. I think it made around 10-12 cups.