Southwestern Navy Bean Soup
One of my favorite “go-to” recipes in the Fall is Southwestern Navy Bean Soup, simply because of the zesty, rich flavors and the creamy texture.
The inclusion of Rotel™ Stewed Tomatoes and Green Chiles is what makes this soup more flavorful than the traditional “navy beans with ham”- you can make this as mild or spicy as you like!
Made from all-natural ingredients with no additives, preservatives or fillers, this low-calorie bean soup is perfect for a hearty, filling lunch or dinner.
Use dried or canned Navy Beans and make it on the stovetop or slow-cooker! Both methods included.
I remember my Grandmother having a big pot of these on the stove. She made her “Southern-style” navy beans chocked full of bacon grease, ham chunks and leftover ham bone.
Here, I’ve taken eliminated some of the unhealthy aspects of the dish…ahem, bacon grease, and resurrected her classic navy bean soup to a more healthy dish!
The flavors of the Southwest shine through with the inclusion of green chiles and ground cumin!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
This small white bean soup can be as mild or spicy as you like!
- Healthy and filling – Southwestern Navy Bean soup can be a meal by itself!
- Low fat and low cholesterol – legumes are naturally low in fat and cholesterol and high in fiber and that’s good for the whole family!
- Flavorful – the rich flavor from zesty tomatoes, mild green chiles and onions really set this navy bean soup recipe apart from all others!
- Versatile – make it as mild or spicy as you like! Want it spicier? Add a some red pepper flakes
You’ll need a side of homemade cornbread to go on the side!
Yield
Like most bean recipes, this makes a big pot of zesty flavored Southwestern Navy Bean soup about 8 cups, so if you don’t need so much, you can half the recipe or freeze it for later.
Here’s what you’ll need
A few simple ingredients:
- One pound of dried navy beans (or 6 cans of canned; rinsed and drained)
- 2 boxes of chicken or vegetable broth (64 oz.)
- One can of Original Rotel™ brand stewed tomatoes and green chiles to this recipe; it adds just enough zest for a flavorful broth and nice texture without adding a ton of sodium (see Notes in Recipe Card below for substitutions)
- 3 bay leaves, sweet yellow or white onion, celery, minced garlic, ground cumin, salt and black pepper
- If you want to include meat in the soup, you can either put a smoked ham hock in the soup while it’s cooking, or add cooked sausage or cooked ham (this is a great way to use leftover ham)
- Another option is to add sliced Polish sausage, or Kielbasa to this dish! This makes a hearty bowl of soup and a complete meal on a busy weeknight!
How to make it
This is an overview; please see recipe card below for details.
I think the best way to make soup is with dried and soaked beans. However, If you don’t have time to overnight soak dried beans, use canned navy beans – just rinse them first. Use a high-quality brand like Bush’s™ Navy Beans or S&W™ brand.
In a Dutch oven, saute onion and celery in a little oil; add Rotel tomatoes (with the juice), dried and soaked navy beans or canned navy beans, broth, garlic, seasonings and bay leaf
If you want a creamier version, transfer 1/4 – 1/2 of the soup to a food processor, pulse a few times, then transfer the pulsed mixture back to the stockpot.
Allow to simmer till tender; season to taste with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Do Navy beans need soak overnight?
Generally speaking, navy (and pinto beans) need to soak overnight in 8 cups of water (or enough water to cover the beans.) But, there’s a quicker way to “soak” the beans called a “Quick-Soak.”
How to quick-soak navy beans
A quick soak is ideal when you forgot to soak dry navy beans or pinto beans overnight.
- Place the rinsed beans and 8 cups of unsalted water in a big pot and bring it to a boil (uncovered) for 5 minutes
- Turn off the heat and cover
- Allow to stand for 1 hour, covered
- Pour off the water, add the drained beans to the stock pot along with the chicken/vegetable broth and resume the recipe
Crock pot or slow cooker instructions
If you make this recipe in a crock pot or slow cooker, soak the dried beans first, either overnight or the “quick-soak” method.
Note: The slow cooker/crockpot method is not recommended for canned beans. They turn to mush.
Place soaked beans and remaining ingredients into slow cooker and add plenty of water or broth (8-10 cups).
The dried beans will absorb the liquid, so if you leave the slow cooker unattended you’ll want to ensure there’s plenty of liquid. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Add more liquid if necessary.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. If you use canned, you’ll need about 6 cups of canned navy beans, drained and rinsed. Canned legumes will significantly reduce the cooking time, but will also skimp on the flavor because they are par-boiled, meaning they’ve been slightly cooked before the canning process.
Dried beans absorb more of the seasonings, resulting in a richer, fuller flavor.
Yes. If you can’t find navy, use Great Northern White. Both have a mild flavor and can be used interchangeably.
The primary differences between Great Northern and Navy beans are: Great Northerns are larger, cook more quickly and hold their shape better, whereas Navy’s are small white beans that dissolve and produce a thicker soup.
Yes! Simply use vegetable broth in lieu of chicken broth and omit the ham hock and sausage. Use water if you do not care for vegetable broth.
If you use water, you might want to add a second can Rotel® and increase the amount of ground cumin. If you want a bit of a smokey flavor, try adding a few dashes of Liquid Smoke (it is vegetarian).
Recipe Tip
Want a smooth texture? Working in batches, pour the soup into a food processor or, use an immersion blender. The result is creamy and delicious!
Storage and Reheating
You can store Navy Bean soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-days or freeze up to 6-months. Reheat thawed soup on the stovetop; you may have to add a little water or broth, as it thickens upon freezing.
What to serve with navy bean soup
A big bowl of navy bean soup can be a meal in itself, however, if you want to serve something with this hearty, delicious soup, try a few of these side dishes and entrees and turn your bean soup into a delicious meal for the entire family!
Cornbread
Anyone living south of the Mason-Dixon line will certainly appreciate a side of homemade cornbread! We serve this as a slice of cornbread, on the side of the soup,or sometimes, we crumble it up and put it in the soup – kinda like “cornbread croutons”!
Corn or Flour Tortillas
Southwestern Navy Bean soup pairs beautifully with soft tortillas or tortilla chips!
Crusty Bread
Any warm loaf of crusty bread goes great with soup – Italian, Sourdough, French bread.
Eggplant Fries
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to french fries, try homemade eggplant fries! The crunch pairs beautifully with bean soup!
Fried Potato Patties
Turn leftover mashed potatoes into a crunchy side dish for navy bean soup!
Fried Squash
Pan-fried squash (yellow or zucchini) goes great with a hearty bowl of bean soup!
Pan Fried Ham
If you add ham to your navy bean soup, reserve a few slices and heat it up in a cast iron skillet!
Meatloaf
Navy Bean soup provides a good amount of protein, however you can never go wrong by offering a classic meatloaf with tomato sauce as a side dish!
Smothered Steak with Brown Gravy
Quick and easy smothered steak with brown gravy is a good side dish for navy bean soup!
Southern Greens
Serve a big bowl of turnip or collard greens with your navy bean soup!
Turnip Green Casserole
Greens and Beans! Can’t go wrong here! This turnip green casserole is the perfect side dish for any navy bean soup!
Smothered Okra and Tomatoes
Serve navy bean soup with a big bowl of smothered okra and tomatoes! Sometimes, we put this on top of white rice!
Southwestern Navy Bean Soup is not only a delicious, it’s a hearty soup and a healthy and flavorful alternative to canned soups.
More soup recipes
- Black Bean Soup
- “No Cream” Creamy White Bean Soup
- How to Season and Cook Purple Hull Peas
- Southern Skillet Cornbread
- Restaurant-Quality Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
- Organic Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
- How to Fix Over Salted Soups and Stews
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating. I love to hear from you!
Southwestern Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. navy beans , dried (see recipe notes); or 6 cans of canned navy beans
- 2 tablespoons oil , olive, canola or vegetable
- 64 oz. chicken or vegetable broth , low-sodium
- 10 oz. can Stewed Tomatoes with Green Chiles (see recipe notes) ,Rotel brand preferred; include juice
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 small ham hock
- ½ lb. smoked beef sausage (optional); slice to bite size
- parsley, scallions or cilantro chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Prep
- Rinse navy beans and soak either overnight or use the Quick Soak method (see notes); if using canned beans, rinse and drain; set aside1 lb. navy beans
- Chop onions and celery1 cup onion, chopped, 1 stalk celery, chopped
Make the Soup
- In a big soup pot on medium heat, add oil, onions and celery; cook until onions are softened, about 4 – 6 minutes; add minced garlic2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup onion, chopped, 1 stalk celery, chopped, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Add entire can of stewed tomatoes and liquid, beans, broth, bay leaves and ground cumin to the onion mixture; (add hamhock : optional); stir well64 oz. chicken or vegetable broth, 10 oz. can Stewed Tomatoes with Green Chiles (see recipe notes), 3 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 small ham hock
- Allow to cook for 35-45 minutes covered; check occasionally for liquid level. If liquid level gets below the bean level, add water or broth to cover the beans by 3-4 inches; cover and continue to cook until beans are tender (Note: dried beans will take much longer to soften)
- To add smoked beef sausage, cut it into bite-sized pieces and saute in a separate pan; (You can add the sausage to the whole soup, or add it to individual servings)½ lb. smoked beef sausage
- Once beans are tender, remove bay leaves; remove ham hock (if added); at this point, if you want a creamier version, transfer ¼ – ½ of the soup to a food processor, pulse a few times, then return the pulsed mixture to the stockpot.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish with parsley, cilantro or scallions and serveparsley, scallions or cilantro
Notes
- Place the beans and 8 cups of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil (uncovered) for 5 minutes
- Turn off the heat and cover
- Allow to stand for 1 hour, covered
- Pour off the water, add in chicken/vegetable broth and resume the recipe
- Place beans and remaining ingredients into slow cooker and add plenty of water or broth (8-10 cups). The beans will absorb the liquid, so if you leave the slow cooker unattended you’ll want to ensure there’s plenty of water or broth.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
OMGoodness. I just noticed I left a comment almost a year ago. I screwed the recipe up last time by adding ingredients to it. This time it was perfect… Because I actually followed the directions. 😂
I followed the directions exactly. I used canned beans instead of dried. The soup turned out really good. My boyfriend even liked it! … & he doesn’t like it when I try new recipes. I’ll definitely make this again.
Thanks for all your tips and recipes! I’m really enjoying them.
Thank you for this recipe!! It it So easy to put together with minimal ingredients, and taste Wonderful!!
Definitely a keeper!
Hi, what size can of the stewed tomatoes with chili as there is the regular 14 1/2 can or the 28 oz I don’t see any mention of that one item, please and thank you.
Good Catch, Jana! My bad. I used one 10 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes in the Southwestern Navy Bean soup; however, if you only have a 14 ounce can, you can use the whole can. If you want it thinner, add a full 28 ounce can of rotel.
Do dried navy beans really cook in half an hour? The package says 1.5 hours. Do I need to plan to cook the soup that long until they are tender? Just checking. Looks like a great recipe…
Dried navy beans will take longer than canned. Cook the soup until the beans are tender. That time can vary depending upon if they’re canned, or if they’re dried. The cook time will also depend upon whether or not you soaked the beans. Soaked beans cook faster.
Thanks! It took me two hours to cook the soup with dried beans that had been soaked. Tastes great.
That sounds about right. Dried beans take much longer to soften than canned. Thank you for sharing!
I LOVE the way you have written out the measurements in the recipe direction section. THANK YOU for simplifying my life by doing this. 🙌🏻Can’t wait to try this recipe! 🤤
You’re welcome! Nobody wants to scroll up and down when they’re making a recipe, right?
You worded that, so perfectly, Anastasia! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I’m not a fan of soups, but I tried it anyway. Love love loved this dish. I threw in some tomato paste. Wish I hadn’t. It would’ve been better without it. I’ll definitely be making this again…as directed.
I was looking for a simple bean soup and this is it!! Great flavor!!
I only had 4 cans of navy beans so I tossed in 2 cans of pinto beans.
This will be by go to recipe from now on for bean soup!!
I’m glad it worked out for you! Sometimes, we have to use what we’ve got, right? Thank you very much for sharing your story!
Made this tonight and it’s amazing!! Added the smoked sausage even better! So much flavor it’s mouth watering!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed this Zesty Navy Bean soup:)