Thick and Hearty Navy Beans with Ham
Warm up with a bowl of thick and hearty navy beans and ham. Keep it simple by making it in the slow cooker, or following the stovetop instructions. This recipe is packed with flavor and sure to keep you full. The perfect recipe to use up that leftover ham!
Another great side dish to try out are these Gumbo Greens and these Smothered Green Beans and Potatoes!
Beans are such a great way to feed a bunch of people, and get full! This recipe is perfect to use-up that leftover ham bone from your Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or Easter dinner too!
What are Navy Beans
Navy beans are a common bean and a staple food in many households. They are small white beans that are also called small white pea beans. They have a very mild flavor and offer a super creamy texture when cooked down.
Dry navy beans are also great to use for soups such as the best navy bean soup, senate bean soup, and five bean soup.
Ingredients for white beans with ham
- Dry navy beans: we will show you how to make the dry beans in the slow cooker without having to soak them in water.
- Ham bone: use your leftover ham bone and get all of the meat off of it. Or you can add a ham hock or smoked neckbone. You can even make this recipe without the meat if you want.
- Onion: roughly chop an onion and add it to your crockpot to add layers of flavor.
- Chicken stock: you will need to add chicken stock to the dry beans to cook them. Chicken stock does have salt content, so you will need to taste your beans before adding additional salt.
How to make dry navy beans in the crockpot
Start by adding your leftover ham bone directly into the slow cooker. Season it with a bit of all purpose seasoning, and gently pour chicken stock around the bottom.
Allow the leftover ham bone to cook down for at least 45 minutes to an hour on high. After it has heated up, remove the leftover ham from the bone and give it a rough chop.
Rinse the dry beans under cold water, and remove any beans that don’t look right. Add about 1 cup of water into the slow cooker.
Now add your rinsed beans into the crockpot, along with the chopped onion. Next, add in the chopped ham and stir it around well. Sprinkle in your seasonings, and taste to see if you should add more salt.
The liquid should be covering the beans. Once everything is mixed up, put the lid on and cook on high for two hours. Adjust the cooking time if you need to cook them on low.
Check the liquid level every hour, and add water as needed. You don’t want to make the beans to watery, so do not add too much water!
Once the beans are tender, use the back of a spoon to mash them against the side of the crockpot to make them thick and creamy texture.
How to cook them on the stovetop
If you would rather cook the beans on the stovetop, follow the exact instructions, but use a large pot instead of the slow cooker.
You will need to cook the beans for about 2 hours, check the liquid level and add water or chicken stock as needed. If you want to make navy bean soup, you would add more liquid, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Varieties of white beans:
There are so many different kinds of small white beans. Although they all look similar, they do have slightly different flavors and shapes. All beans are a good source of dietary fiber, and protein.
Navy beans
These white beans (or white kidney beans), are on the smaller side of all other dry beans. They have a mild flavor and offer a creamy texture when cooked down.
Cannellini beans
These are often referred to as white kidney beans. They are a good source of protein and are a staple in the Italian diet.
Great Northern Beans
Great northern beans are a bit larger, and grow in very cold temps, hence the name “northern.” They are great to use in soups, stews, and chilis because they hold up well.
There are several other common beans such as pinto beans, black beans, and red kidney beans. Lima beans, Boston beans or boston baked beans are another popular variety.
FAQ
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce bag Dry Navy Beans
- 2 cups Ham roughly chopped
- 3 cups Chicken stock
- Water as needed to adjust thickness
- 1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 whole Bay leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by adding your leftover ham bone directly into the slow cooker. Season it with a bit of all purpose seasoning or chicken bouillon, and gently pour chicken stock around the bottom.
- Allow the leftover ham bone to cook down for at least 45 minutes to an hour on high. After it has heated up, remove the leftover ham from the bone and give it a rough chop.
- Alternatively: remove the ham from the bone prior to heating it up, and just give it a rough chop (and skip step 1 and 2).
- Rinse the dry beans under cold water, and remove any beans that don't look right. Add about 1 cup of water into the slow cooker. The liquid should be covering the beans.
- Now add your rinsed beans into the crockpot, along with the chopped onion. Next, add in the chopped ham and stir it around well. Sprinkle in your seasonings including the chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Mix everything around until it is fully combined, and add your 2 bay leaves into the slow cooker.
- Once everything is mixed up, put the lid on and cook on high for two hours. Adjust the cooking time to about 3 hours if you need to cook them on low.
- Check the liquid level every hour, and add water as needed. You don't want to make the beans to watery, so do not add too much water!
- Once the beans are tender, use the back of a spoon to mash them against the side of the crockpot to make them a thick and creamy texture. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper to your taste. Serve right away, and enjoy!
Nutrition
