From my cookbook…Dave’s Ham and Navy Bean Soup

Happy New Year! Here’s a delicious and healthy way to use up your leftover Christmas ham!

There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!

A wonderful way to start the new year

OK, so it’s a new year and the holiday festivities are over. If you are like me, you have leftover ham from Christmas still clinging to the bone. You want to start out the new year eating healthy but you also want to make good use of your leftover ham. Well, I have the perfect solution for you!

Various navy bean soup recipes have been making the rounds for many years. In fact, where I first heard about it is that someone told me that it is served in the US Senate dining room.  Well, I just looked it up and sure enough it is still served there (check it out by clicking the link in Note 2), and a few other Capital Hill cafeterias, and it has been since the early 1900s, over 100 years! At only $7.00, it’s about the best bargain on the menu! As the story goes, the original version included mashed potatoes and was mandated by a senator from one of the potato-producing states!

I make this recipe anytime we have a ham with a bone in it. The ham hocks add a nice smoky flavor, but this year for Thanksgiving, I made a smoked ham, and that was an excuse to make this soup. The smoked ham just took it to the next level. I will sometimes use a ham steak to make it because I like to make it more often than just when we get a ham.

David Giustozzi’s Ham and Navy Bean Soup 

My sister-in-law, Lisa Giustozzi first introduced me to this wonderful soup when she made some for my mother in 2013 and it was excellent.  I started tinkering with the recipe and I’m really happy with it now.  Enjoy with some cornbread and you will be having a good day!

Ingredients

·       1 lb. dry Navy beans, picked over and rinsed

·       8 cups water

·       2 tablespoons butter

·       1 to 1½ pounds ham from leftover ham or cubed ham pieces

·       1 smoked ham hocks

·       2 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

·       ½ cup milk, whole preferred

·       2 carrots, chopped

·       2 stalks celery, chopped

·       1 medium onion, chopped

·       3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

·       ½ teaspoon salt, as needed

·       ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·       Hot pepper salt or ground cayenne pepper, optional

·       Pure olive oil, as required

·       2 tablespoons salt for soaking beans

·       Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Soak beans in water, 2” above bean level and 2 tablespoons salted water overnight.  Drain and rinse beans.  Note:  Soaking the beans in salt water will ensure that the bean skins are tender.

2.  In a large Dutch oven, melt butter and a splash of oil and sauté ham and ham hock (covered) until ham is warm and has released any internal water.  Remove lid and continue to cook until most water is evaporated.  Add onion, celery and carrot, cover and cook until softened and just starting to brown and caramelize. Add a little olive oil if too dry. Do not rush these initial steps as these are the basis of the rich flavor of this soup!  Remove ham and vegetables to a large bowl and cover.  Pick meat from ham bone and hocks when cool and add back to bowl.

3.  Add beans and water to same pot, bring to boil.  Cook for 30 minutes on a low boil with the lid cracked.  Add ham, ham bone and hocks, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, salt and pepper.  With lid cracked, simmer 15 minutes or until beans are beginning to become tender.   

4.  Meanwhile, cook potatoes until tender.  Drain water, add milk and mash with a hand  masher.

5.  Remove hock and any ham bones.  Add potato mixture. Heat on low with lid cracked on warm until beans are tender, and soup is thickened.  Turn off heat and allow to rest with lid on to allow flavors to meld and soup to thicken. Serve, garnished with chopped parsley, with cornbread and fresh green salad. Serves 10.

Notes

1. OK to use diced smoked ham pieces if bone in ham is not available. Depending upon which type of ham you use (water injected or not), the initial cook steps will vary widely.

2. If necessary, thin with water or thicken with cornstarch and water mixture (off heat) at the end of cooking.

3. Better the second day.

Dave’s Ham and Navy Bean Soup

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What’s in it for me?

Good eats, that’s what!

Call to Action

Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating healthy food you prepared.  All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.

Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!

Recommended Resources

Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).

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Notes

Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.

1. Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ

2. US Senate Dining Room Menu:  https://racafes.compass-usa.com/USSenate/SDR%20Menus/SDR.pdf