Navy Beans and Ham
This Navy Beans and Ham recipe has a super flavorful creamy soup base with tender beans and ham pieces and it has a secret ingredient that removes the gas from the beans.

Okay, what could be better than a good hot bowl perfectly cooked and seasoned navy beans….oh, I know, a good hot bowl of perfectly cooked and seasoned navy beans with some good cornbread or corn muffins on the side. I think the two should be married! Click here for my recipe for Perfect Corn Muffins.
I’m also going to show you my little secret for removing the gas from the beans, and when they’re almost done, I’ll show you a second secret ingredient that adds more flavor and creaminess to these beans. When I served up a bowl of these to my hubby, Don, within two minutes I heard the spoon scraping the bottom of the bowl, and “Honey, I’ll take some more”.
Here’s all you do…
Okay, you’ll complete the first and easiest step of the recipe, the night before. You’re gonna dump a large bag of navy beans in a pot and sort through them with your hands a few times, looking for any of those little boogers that look bad so you can throw them away.
Now drain off the water, place the beans in a large pot and cover them with about two inches of water.
Next, you’re gonna add my first little secret ingredient. This is something that my mother always did, and now I do….why? Because it works!!! Yes, that’s right, you’re gonna add in 2 teaspoons of baking soda. No…I’m not crazy here…let me explain. the baking soda is only briefly added in and then rinsed off….what does it do you ask? It gets rid of all of that gassiness in the beans….yes gassiness…you’ll thank me later!!
Okay, now you’re gonna see why I said to use a large pot. You’re gonna place the pot on the stovetop over high heat and let it come to a boil. Note: Do not walk away from the pot, or leave the kitchen!!!! If you do, you’ll be sorry! As soon as the water starts to come to a boil, it’s going to start foaming up like this picture above.
Then it’s going to foam up even bigger….
Then even bigger, until it’s almost ready to bubble up and over the sides. As soon as it gets to this point, turn off the heat and quickly remove the pot from the heat. You’ll notice that the water actually has a sort of green color to it. That’s a good thing! I won’t go into chemistry here, but your digestive system will thank you later. Just take my word for it.
Now pour the beans into a strainer….
Rinse the beans thoroughly to remove all of the baking soda, and rinse out the pot while you’re at it…
Now pour the beans back into the pot, and get ready to season…season…season…
Now take a ham shank with a bone, or you can use a cottage ham as I did here, because that’s all I had on hand, and my closest grocery store is 12 miles away….
Don’t trim this part off….the fat is where all that great flavor is….
Now cut it up into strips and then into bite-size pieces…
Add it to the pot…
Now dice up a large yellow onion…
And add it to the pot…
Now, only if you want to….and I do….you can add in some bacon fat…I cut off the end pieces from a package of bacon which are usually mostly fat, and throw them in the pot, then I remove them when the beans are finished cooking….my husband says “leave em n”.
Now toss in a bay leaf…
Cover the beans with about 3 inches of water and add some salt and pepper…
Now place the pot on a large burner and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and place a lid on the pot, cracking the lid just a little, (don’t really crack the lid), you know what I mean… and allow the mixture to simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans are very tender. Now, are you READY….ready for my second secret ingredient?
Ta Da!!! Yep, Pioneer Brand, Peppered gravy mix….this is the secret ingredient that adds even more flavor but most importantly, creaminess to the beans. The beans are still great without it, but I like the extra creaminess. If you feel the need to add a litter liquid at the end, add a tiny bit of milk.


Navy Beans and Ham
- Prep Time: 510
- Total Time: 600
Description
This Navy Beans and Ham recipe has a super flavorful creamy soup base with tender beans and ham pieces and it has a secret ingredient that removes the gas from the beans.
Ingredients
- 1 large bag (32 ounces) or 2 small bags (16 ounces) dried navy beans
- 2 ham shanks with bones, or one cottage ham
- Bacon pieces, optional
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 packet of Pioneer Brand peppered gravy mix
Instructions
- Place the dry beans in a pan and sift through them with your hands. Discard any beans that look bad.
- Run two inches of water over the beans and leave the beans to soak overnight, at least 8 hours.
- Drain the water from the beans. Sift through the beans one more time to check for bad ones.
- Place the beans in a large pot. Cover with one inch of water, and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil over high heat. Watch carefully!! The water will become foamy and start to rise quickly. When this happens, remove the pot from the heat. Rinse the beans thoroughly under cold water and return to the pot.
- Dice the ham up into bite size pieces and add to the beans. Add bacon pieces if desired. Dice up the onion and add in, then the bay leaf. Cover the beans with three inches of water and add the salt and pepper.
- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are very tender. Add the gravy mix and simmer for an additional fifteen minutes.
Notes
- Crockpot Version: To fix beans in a crockpot, either soak the beans overnight or bring beans to a boil and remove from heat. Let beans soak for 1-2 hours. Place in a crockpot on low for eight hours. During the last half hour, add in the gravy mix and a tiny bit of milk if preferred.
- The process of bringing the beans to a boil, removing from heat, and allowing to soak for 1-2 hours is called the quick soak method. This method is quick, however, the quick soak method tends to extract more of the nutrients from the beans than the overnight soak.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Sounds wonderful. I live alone and navy (white beans) are one of my favorites. I usually make about 2 cups of beans and give some to my neighbor. I’ve heard about the “baking soda” trick but didn’t know how to use it. Thank you. I will start tonight with the soak and proceed with the ‘new’ way to cook my beans.
Thank you so much,
Judy
Hi Judy,
You’re welcome!!
Made this and added a little garlic, 4cups of chicken broth with water, and a few green onions along with regular onions. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Gary,
I’m so glad you like them, and the green onions are a must for sure! 🙂
Your navy bean soup recipe was delicious. I did not add seasoning as did not have but regardless it was great! Question, would these seasoning be good with with the nine bean soup mix? Thanks
Hi Colleen, I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it and how you like it.
Thanks for the suggestion of the pepper gravy mix. Prepared this recipe and the beans were delicious. Never would have thought of it.
Hi Lisa, You’re very welcome! 🙂
Tried the baking soda trick, so far it works . Also the pepper gravy was spot on . Next time you have your soup put some fresh horseradish in the bowl , This kicks this up another level . Thanks for the info!
Hi Roger, Thanks for the horseradish tip. I will certainly keep that in mind the next time. 🙂
Would a person be able to can this after it has been cooked?
Hi Susan,
I don’t see why not if you use a pressure cooker, but I’m not sure! You might go to the Blue Ball Canning’s website (healthy canning.com) to check.
Beans was delish-peppered gravy mix Wow!!!!
The weather is turning cooler in S. Texas and tag! Navy beans are IT for dinner. This is a wonderful recipe! I soaked 1 lb. beans overnight, began the cooking with the baking soda (trick) and followed the simple cooking recipe but added a stalk of celery and a small piece of garlic and several green onions as others had suggested and because my mother did. The gravy mix was a wonderful idea. I’ve been tasting as they cooked, and I must say, Cindy has a wonderful recipe! Thank you for a new twist and a delicious dinner!
★★★★★
Hi Sue, I’m so glad they were a hit! Great fall food! 🙂
Thanks for the trick about how to get rid of the gas
Priceless
Probably works with every kind of bean, just guessing butt it makes sense that it would if it works with navy beans probably works with the rest somewhat⚠️
★★★★
Hi David, Yes, it should work for any beans that you’re cooking. Have a great Thanksgiving! 🙂
Hi,
The gravy mix is a great idea! Do you add straight in as a powder or mix it with water per the package directions before you add it to the beans?
Thanks!!!
Hi Lisa, Simply add it straight to the beans. 🙂
What size bags of beans are we talking about? I have 16 Oz bags, are they small bags? Thanks
Hi Cliff, The small bag is 16 ounces, and the big bag is 32 ounces. I will revise the recipe to reflect this.
I don’t have the pioneer gravy but do have a packet of chicken gravy. Your thoughts on that instead?
Hi Tracy, That should work. It will still work as a thickener. You might have to add a little more pepper.
This was VERY good! I added a little garlic and balsamic vinegar and an extra pack of the gravy mix. It made a LOT of soup. This recipe is a KEEPER. Thank you so much
★★★★★
Hi Elaine, You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
This is wonderful! I love the secret creaminess ingredient. Will you please make an instant pot version of this recipe. Please <3
Bye bye gas… no more pooty tooty..
Thanks so much
★★★★★