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
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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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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 was afraid that boiling the sliced sausage for hours would cook out the flavor, so having 8 cups of chicken broth (from boiled chicken) in my freezer, I used that as the water for the beans. I added the sautéed sausage at the end of cooking with the spinach, so the sausage would be juicy and flavorful.
Has anyone tried to add spinach you just threw into your freezer? I was going to throw it in smoothie but would like to use in this recipe.
I used a combination of chicken and vegetable Better Than Bouillon (I’m a flavor glutton) and it was amazing!! I stuck pretty closely to the recipe, except for spinach (I forgot to buy it) and apple cider vinegar (I wasn’t sure what the purpose was otherwise I probably would have added it). I’ll definitely be making this again and can’t wait to try it with spinach. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Absolutely scrumptious!
Made as directed, except I added @1 T of chicken flavored Better
Than Boullion.
I thought the sausage tasted a bit rubbery after cooking for so long in the broth, so next time I will remove the sausage after browning it, and add to the soup in the last 30 mins or so of simmering
I topped each bowl of this with EVOO and sauerkraut and that is quite nice.
This recipe has been on repeat in my house ever since I found it! My husband is such a picky eater and he loves this soup. He actually requests it at least once a month. This soup has so much flavor and is so easy to make. I’ve also brought this soup to a family gathering and to a friends gathering and everyone loves this soup and says how much flavor it has.
This soup is delicious. It is so flavorful and filling. My husband likes to eat it over rice and I like it that way too. Passed it on to other family members and they raved about it. Definitely, a keeper!
Came to this recipe from your collection of recipes to use up leftover spinach (you’ve really thought of everything!). Looking forward to trying it with Swiss chard from the garden in the spring. Thanks for another great recipe.
Wow, I never comment on recipes but this was so good. I’m trying to add more beans to my diet and may have found my favorite recipe yet! As others suggested, I added chicken bouillon and the broth was great. I would definitely suggest adding salt in 1/4 teaspoon increment after to taste to keep from making it too salty.
Recipe is AMAZING. I changed a couple things…I left in the oil drippings from sausage for sautee purpose and flavor…I also added chicken bouillon cubes through cooking process(8) and left out the herbs but kept in fresh garlic. I added spinach to my bowl because my kid hates spinach but I live it and soup was hot enough to wilt in bowl. Loved this recipe!
Absolutely amazing! Made this yesterday with ham hocks and it was delicious. Definitely gonna try it with sausage next time. Thank you
Made a quick version with canned beans and frozen spinach. Added some bouillon to the water, and a bit of cilantro since we had it on hand. Dinner ready in 15 mins work, and 45 mins simmering unattended. And my 7 year old loved it!
Along with using a bit more sausage (1 1/4 lbs), I added 1/2 cup bacon bits when sauteing the sausage, added a bunch of chopped kale to the veggie list, and replace 4 cups of the water with chicken broth. Turned out WONDERfully.
You can play endlessly with this.
This is so good! I’m in Louisiana also and I make all kinds of beans regularly. I saw this recipe by happenstance while surfing the web. I will surely keep coming back to your blog. I cannot stand it when people don’t use enough seasoning and at least you understand where I’m coming from! This recipe is not only beautiful but the flavors and soooooo good! I did add some feta cheese when serving and I thought it added to the soup also but I’m a fan of feta any time these common herbs and spinach are used. – Thanks, Shannon in LA
Very hearty soup! Used pressure cooker and turkey smoked sausge. Meal in a bowl, Printing this off……it’s a keeper!
Thanks Judy!
How long did you cook it in the pressure cooker?
This is a beautiful soup, and my whole family were fans ’til my son realized there was spinach.
Ha! Darn it! Maybe blend it next time? ;)
Does this freeze well? Cooking for elderly parent and freezing in single serving size so looking for tasty recipes to make for him to defrost as needed.
Yes Deb this would be great to freeze in some smaller circle containers for him to easily reheat.
Turned out pretty darn good. It was my first time issuing dried beans vs can and I could really taste the difference! I can’t have smoked sausage because it contains soy and I’m extremely allergic to that so I used Italian sausage. The soup it’sekf was good but really lacking something in flavor. It was kinda plain. Again maybe it’s because I couldn’t used smoke sausage. Any suggestions to make it more flavorful? I will definitely be making again!
Not having that smoked sausage will definitely bring it down a notch, but you can try adding some smoked paprika to bring back some of that smoked flavor. You may also need to increase the salt just a bit. Salt really helps flavors pop. :)
Hey Sarah, this is a little late, but a splash of vinegar when you turn off the heat will turn up the flavor
Made this last night. Another great recipe!
I’m from Wisconsin and had five left over grilled bratwurst from our New Year’s Day bonfire. Followed the recipe except for no added salt and the soup was great. A nice switch from the usual leftover Christmas ham/pea soup, Chile or chicken and dumpling soup. Thanks!
Could I use a stick of some type instead of water? Would that make it more flavorful?
Sure, vegetable or chicken would probably be good in this. Just keep in mind that if your stock has salt in it, you’ll need to add less salt later.
Was it necessary to make this 30 pages long? Yea that’s just stupid.
If you try to print the whole web page it will be really long. If you want to print just the recipe, there is a “print” button in the top right hand corner of the recipe card. Click that button and it will open the recipe on its own so it can be printed on one piece of paper without the rest of the webpage attached.
I am going to make this this weekend and can’t wait. I noticed that in the recipe with the photos, you say to gently boil it for two hours with the lid in place. But the sentence immediately after that you say you did NOT use a lid for this step. So I just want to be sure that we are keeping the lid on for the two hours even though you didn’t. Thank you!
Wow, thanks for catching that error! I don’t know how I managed that one. Let it boil with the lid on. :)
I’m a long time blog looker. I just wanted to thank you for putting into the recipe instructions that the vegetable sauté will release liquid, and thus dissolve the ‘fond’ at the bottom of the pot. ‘Fond’ is the French way of saying the little brown bits are very good & are flavorful! Those are simple instructions, the people that don’t know how to cook would be unaware of how to do it.
In regards to using canned beans, here is what I did.
I used chicken broth instead of water since it wouldn’t be cooking so long, but I used a little over half the amount (probably five cups) and then just simmered for about 20 minutes. Also I used kale instead of spinach (and didn’t have any bay leaf unfortunately!) I followed the recipe exactly other than that.
Holy crap it turned out absolutely amazing!!! This is such a fabulous recipe!
This soup is excellent. Totally worth soaking the dry beans, which is not the sort of thing I usually fuss around with. Perfectly seasoned, hearty, satisfying, aromatic, and the carrots and spinach make it bright and colorful. Thanks for a new favorite!
If I did this in a pressure cooker, do you happen to know what chang s I would need to make?
Hmm, I’m not sure off hand. I’d need to do some testing.
Just made soup omitting the spinach since i plan freezing it next. Followed amounts exactly, but don’t really care for thyme/rosemary background tastes. A little odd, reminds me of poultry dish. Turned out rather thick with one pound of navy beans and 8 cups of liquid. Don’t know that i would make it again. Could use more garlic!
Am I able to use canned navy beans? If so how much?
Thanks!!
One pound of dry beans is usually about equal to three 15oz. cans, but then you’ll need to reduce the liquid in the recipe quite a bit because the canned beans are already cooked and won’t absorb any of that liquid. You also won’t need to cook it as long, since the beans are already cooked. All of that means the flavors won’t develop quite the same way, so unfortunately it’s not a simple swap. :P
If one were to use a slow cooker instead, what would need to be done differently? Should I cook the sausage before-hand? Sorry if that’s obvious knowledge, I’m still a big noob when it comes to cooking :3
I’d probably cook the sausage ahead of time so you can get some browning on it. You could probably do 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Can I use the slow cooker?
I haven’t tried this one in a slow cooker.
Love, love, love your blog. We have made several of your recipes and have been happy with every one of them. I don’t know if you have found a way to wean yourself off your bouillon crutch yet. If not, may I suggest the soup base from the Food in Jars website: http://foodinjars.com/2016/01/homemade-vegetable-soup-base/ . I made a batch and it has changed our soup / stew / gravy making life. I even costed it out, well for those living in rural British Columbia: https://hiproofbarn.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/canning-mastery-challenge-making-soup-base/
Keep up the good work – Oh, and did I tell you how much I love your blog?
Thank you! I still haven’t tried that version of bouillon substitute (I think someone else showed me that before), but I need to! I just really like the flavor and convenience of the BTB so I haven’t had much motivation to “quit” yet. Hahah :)
If you omitted the sausage, what would you add for more flavor? I am attempting to eat less meat and would like to turn this into a vegetarian dish.
Thanks!
I would add either liquid smoke or smoked paprika to make up for the smokiness, and increase the other herbs. Oh, and I’d add a little coconut oil or butter for richness.
I just made this soup for lunch, so good! I added cayenne pepper and topped it off with a little mozzarella, as a personal preference. Yum! Thanks for a great recipe!
My son came home from work and said, “what smells delicious? I want some”. I shared some with a sick co-worker, who then asked for the recipe so she could make a pot the next day. (FYI pint sized large-mouth canning jars make great containers to bring soup to work)
I used two big bunches of dinosaur kale instead of the spinach and cooked it a little longer to get the greens tender. The only other thing I’d change is to make a double batch next time.
Making this now! I’m so excited, it smells delicious! The only things I’ve changed were that I used Lima beans (because I thought I had navy beans in my pantry and was mistaken) and I’m letting it simmer in my crock pot since I have things to do and a baby to chase. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I love this recipe!!! I’ve made it a few times now and I’m making it again tonight :) It freezes great! I follow the recipe to a T, the only thing I add is a little dry mustard…seems to meld well with the beans and sausage (we use smoked turkey sausage that goes on sale regularly). Looking forward to trying the roasted balsamic vegetables with lemon parsley rice this week. Thanks!
Hope someone can answer this quickly… I just put this on to boil simmer for the required 2 hrs. Should this be
covered or uncovered? I also cut the whole recipe in 1/2 but other than that, followed it to the T. But definitely
need the answer to covered or UNcovered ASAP please.
I kept the lid on while simmering. I’ll add that to the directions.
Just in case you didn’t realize this, 1 pound of dry navy beans is anywhere from 2 1/4 to 2 1/3 cups of beans, not 2 exactly. The “16 oz = 2 cups” concept only applies to liquid measures — dry goods measures are different. It probably won’t matter in these soup recipes but the time could come when it matters to your budgeting :)
What is the purpose of apple cider vinegar? I made it without and am hesitent to add it next time I make it for fear of ruining the whole thing.
It just kind of adds a little zing and cuts through the heaviness of the soup. You can always try adding a drop or two to a bowl to see if you don’t like it. :)
Ohhh Myyy Goodness! This is so good!! Making it again by request by my husband. Will have to go into my regular meal planning. : )
Can’t wait to try this! How do leftovers freeze?
This soup freezes very well! :D
This soup is, seriously, the best. The entire house smelled amazing the entire time it was cooking and it tastes fantastic! This is definitely going in the regular rotation.
Making this for the first time today. I used a smidgen less olive oil and added a pat of butter to the pot at the end of the sausage cooking time to brown. I used turkey smoked sausage so I didn’t bother to drain the fat (it was minimal). I used a bunch of baby carrots and celery flakes instead of stalks – not a big fan of celery. I rough chopped the spinach to make it fit on a spoon better and easier to eat for my 3yr. old. Added 1/2c of cream instead of 3/4c. Pretty good meal for a nite when we got 5in. of snow.
Thank you for these amazing recipes! they’ve changed the way i’ve been eating and we’ve cut our grocery bill in half! this was a wonderful meal.
you are a star!
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.