Navy Bean Soup - A Vegan Recipe | Greedy Gourmet

Question 1

What Are Navy Beans?

Accepted Answer

Navy beans are a white, creamy beans that have a shape similar to a pill. They have a mild flavour, but one that is oh so delicious.

For this recipe, you are going to use cooked beans Instead of dry beans, and there are a couple of ways you can achieve the correct consistency. You can soak the beans overnight, or you can just use canned beans.

It doesn’t matter how you get them to the right texture before adding them to your soup, but no matter if you use canned navy beans or soaked beans, make sure you have drained beans before putting them in the pot.

If you do not have navy beans at home, you can use great Northern beans or cannellini beans in their place. I am partial to the navy bean, but really anything will work.

Question 2

Can I Cook Navy Bean Soup in a Slow Cooker Instead?

Accepted Answer

You can absolutely adapt this recipe to be used in a crock pot. Put in all of the ingredients together, using dried beans instead of cooked beans, and cook either on a high heat for four hours or low heat for eight hours.

It’ll take a little bit longer, but it’ll taste so good and be so simple. If you’re comfortable, start it before going to bed and let it cook the beans overnight.

You can also make this recipe in an instant pot if you do not have a slow cooker. You can use the crockpot feature, or follow similar instructions to the recipe below.

You can even cook this recipe in a dutch oven if you’d like.

Question 3

Can I Add Anything?

Accepted Answer

You can of course add other ingredients if you prefer. To turn this into ham soup, I suggest adding smoked ham meat for a hearty, delicious twist. You will love the taste of ham navy bean soup on a cold winter night.

You can also add some more seasonings if you like. It currently calls for salt, pepper, and chives. But any medley of your liking well and elevate the recipe just a bit.

Spices like parsley, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, a bay leaf, and garlic powder all make for a delicious, hearty soup.

You can also add some other vegetables, like diced tomatoes or more beans. Adding black eyed peas or black beans will give it the taste of other bean soups and make it perfect for cold winter nights.

Question 4

Can I Make it Thicker?

Accepted Answer

If you want a thicker soup, there are a couple ways you can do it. You can add a slurry if you would like, one made out of water and cornstarch or water and flour.

You can also add in some tomato paste. Tomato paste will thicken the soup, but it’ll also of course give it a tomato taste, so only use that if you like a tomato taste.

Adding more beans will thicken the soup, as will letting it simmer. If you decide to do that, be sure to watch it, stirring occasionally as the soup thickens so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Question 5

Can I Make it Thinner?

Accepted Answer

If you want thinner navy bean soup, add more liquids. You can easily add more water or more broth to thin it up a little bit. Keep in mind that broth may be a better option because it will keep the taste, but you can use water, too.

If you are alright with a little bit of a taste change, you can also add Worcestershire sauce. It’ll give it a bit of a bite, but it’ll be delightful.

You can also adjust the thickness of the navy bean soup as you blend it. If you want thick soup, do not blend for as long, but keep blending until it’s smooth if you want thin bean soup.

You can also add a couple cups of water to thin it out.

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