In a previous post, I discussed the benefits of eating nutrient rich beans.   Continuing with that theme, I am adding a recipe here for navy bean soup.  This recipe is actually a variation of a vegan navy bean recipe that I made often while in college.  The ingredients are simple and easy to find.  The soup is very healthy, and everything included is very inexpensive, too.  One of the best things about this soup is that it freezes well, so it’s easy to make a large batch and freeze it in meal size portions.

Begin with about 2 cups of navy beans.  You will need to “look” them as described in my previous post about degassing beans.

Once you have “looked” the beans, rinse them and place them in a large pot.  Cover the beans with 2-3 inches of water.   Follow the instructions found here for degassing beans. Once the beans have been degassed and drained, add water or chicken broth, a ham hock, the vegetables, herbs, and spices, and bring to a boil.  Once everything is boiling, cover the pot and simmer for 60 – 90 minutes or until the beans are tender.  Serve this soup with corn bread and a green salad for a filling and nutritious meal.   The leftovers pack well for lunches.

Give this navy bean soup recipe a try, and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.  Thanks for visiting Patty Cake’s Pantry.

Nutrition Information is for 1/5th of the recipe made without a bouillon cube.  The bouillon cube adds only only one calorie per serving, but it adds about 100 additional milligrams of sodium.