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.

Navy Beans and Ham.

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.

Before I share this recipe with you, I’d like to share my secret with you for taking the gas out of beans. You might want to read it before making this recipe.

Navy Beans and Ham is pure comfort food, and it’s one of my favorites to fix in the winter months. It’s also an easy and filling meal. Check out my ingredient list and see if you can guess which ingredient is my secret one for the creamiest soup/gravy.

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

  1. Place the dry beans in a pan and sift through them with your hands. Discard any beans that look bad.
  2. Run two inches of water over the beans and leave the beans to soak overnight, at least 8 hours.
  3. Drain the water from the beans. Sift through the beans one more time to check for bad ones.
  4. Removing the gas (optional): 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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. Remove the bay leaf. Add the gravy mix and simmer for an additional fifteen minutes.

See my notes on the recipe card below for crockpot method.

Secret Ingredient

Gravy Mix! This little packet of Pioneer Peppered Gravy Mix adds so much flavor and creaminess to this recipe. After I tried it, I’ve never made it without using the gravy mix.

Navy Beans and Ham.

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Navy Beans and Ham

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Cindy Gibbs at My Country Table
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 90 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American
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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

Scale
  • 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

  1. Place the dry beans in a pan and sift through them with your hands. Discard any beans that look bad.
  2. Run two inches of water over the beans and leave the beans to soak overnight, at least 8 hours.
  3. Drain the water from the beans. Sift through the beans one more time to check for bad ones.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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. Remove the bay leaf.  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