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This scrumptious navy bean soup is packed with veggies and smoky flavor! Easy, delicious, and hearty enough to make a meal of!
You may have noticed that I share a lot of bean soup recipes on this site. I love them! I’m all about my spicy black bean soup, Mexican pinto bean soup, and rosemary white bean soup.
But good old navy beans don’t get nearly enough love, and that needs to change. It’s time I shared a navy bean recipe around here. Navy beans are delicious! They cook up super soft and have a savory, smoky flavor that’s perfect for a cozy soup. This soup is also vegan and vegetarian (whereas most navy bean soups are made with ham), so everyone can enjoy a bowl!
Jump to:
- What You’ll Need
- How to Make Navy Bean Soup
- Leftovers & Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Easy Soup Recipes
- Smoky Navy Bean Soup
What You’ll Need
- Olive oil. Feel free to substitute another high-heat oil, such as corn or canola. Olive will give your soup the best flavor though!
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Spices. We’re using ground cumin and smoked paprika to give our soup the perfect smoky flavor.
- Vegetable broth. I’m a big fan of Better Than Bouillon in seasoned vegetable flavor.
- Navy beans. We’re keeping things simple and using canned navy beans for this soup recipe. If you’d rather use dry navy beans, you’ll need to soak and cook them first. Try this method. You’ll need about 5 cups of cooked beans.
- Potato. The recipe calls for a russet potato, but you could absolutely substitute another variety, such as red or gold potatoes.
- Red wine vinegar. You could substitute white vinegar or white wine vinegar if needed.
- Salt & pepper.
How to Make Navy Bean Soup
The following is a summary of the cooking process used to make this dish, along with some tips! Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe.
- Sweat your veggies in some olive oil — diced onion, carrots, and celery. After they begin to soften up, add minced garlic and spices. Sauté everything for just a minute. Be careful and stir everything constantly to prevent burning.
- Now add your broth, beans, and diced potato. Crank up the heat, bring the soup to a simmer, and let it cook until the potato is tender.
- Tip: You can tweak the cook time a bit to your liking. I like to get my potato super tender and let the beans start to break down, making for a soup that’s a bit creamy. Cook the soup more briefly if you prefer firmer potato and a more brothy soup. If you want your soup to be extra creamy, try blending a portion of it using an immersion blender.
- Take the pot off the burner and stir in some vinegar, along with salt and black pepper to taste.
Dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
This soup makes for great leftovers and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will thicken up as it sits — thin it with some water or broth when reheating it if you’d like!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this soup gluten-free?
It is!
Do I need to peel the potato?
Nope! But you certainly can if you prefer your potato peeled.
Can I make this recipe using other varieties of beans?
Absolutely! Try making it with black beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans, or pinto beans! Just keep in mind that the flavor and texture will vary depending on what you use.