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Home » vegetarian » Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup

Published: Mar 21, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

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6 hours 15 minutes 7 Comments

Slow cooker navy bean soup is a hearty, vegetarian crockpot soup made with dried navy beans, carrots, celery and fennel. This post was originally posted on November 18, 2013.

slow cooker navy bean soup in a black bowl with parsley on top

I love using my slow cooker for making long-cooking recipes that use pantry staples; staples like dried white navy beans. I always have bags of dried beans and lentils on hand because I love making slow cooker lentil soups, or traditional sweet and smoky baked beans.

Dried beans and legumes are humble ingredients, but they can make so many delicious meals and are probably one of the most budget-friendly ingredients in the grocery store. They may not seem exciting, but if I have one piece of advice for new cooks it’s to get familiar with these pantry staples.

A ladle full of navy bean soup in the slow cooker.

This slow cooker soup has French and Italian flavours. It starts with a simple mirepoix (a combination of carrots, celery and onion), as do most soups. I’ve added fennel and tomato paste for a hint of sweetness.

Do I need to soak the beans before adding them to the slow cooker?

Because the beans are being slow cooked, they don’t require the pre-soaking that dried beans typically need. If you were making this on the stovetop, you would want to soak the beans in water for about eight hours.

I’ve been making this soup pretty frequently since 2013, and one of my favourite tricks that I learned from my mom has to do with the olive oil (of course it does, she’s Greek!).

Drizzle the soup with olive oil before serving; it creates a velvety and luxurious mouthfeel. This is similar to the way you’d swirl in butter to a pan sauce before serving.

Closeup of navy bean soup in a black bowl.

While I’m using water in this soup, you could definitely use vegetable broth if you have some on hand. Just be sure to adjust the amount of extra salt you’re adding to the soup.

I don’t have navy beans, what else can I use?

Dried great northern beans are a great alternative to navy beans.

While this soup is a vegetarian recipe, you could definitely add some ham in here as well if you wanted to make a navy bean and ham soup.

slow cooker navy bean soup in a black bowl with parsley on top

Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup

Author: Louisa Clements
4.77 from 17 votes
Slow cooker navy bean soup is a hearty, vegetarian crockpot soup made with dried navy beans, carrots, celery and fennel.
Pin Print
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 hours
Total: 6 hours 15 minutes
servings icon
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cups dried navy beans
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • ½ bulb fennel, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp chili flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Stir water, navy beans, carrots, celery, onion, fennel, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves, salt, thyme and chili flakes in the slow cooker insert. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  • Stir olive oil into soup before serving.

Notes

Depending on the age of your beans, it may take them longer to cook. If they are still hard after six hours, put the lid back on and continue cooking for another hour. 
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, gluten free, slow cooker, soup, vegan, vegetarian
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 309 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 583mg25%
Potassium 1089mg31%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 19g79%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 5252IU105%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 144mg14%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.
Slow Cooker White Bean Soup

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Comments

  1. Claire

    December 09, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    the beans were still crunchy. thoughts?
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 13, 2013 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Claire, Personally, I prefer for my beans to stay a little on the tender side, but if you prefer them a little softer, you can cook it for another hour or two. I've done this before and it's turned out wonderfully!
      Reply
  2. Fiori

    November 20, 2013 at 7:15 pm

    This soup was just delicious and so easy to make. Thank you Lou!

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Lou

      November 23, 2013 at 8:52 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Fiori! Thanks for letting me know.
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
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