Peel the onion and cut into half, and place one half into a large pot. Set the other onion half aside for later.
Add the ham hocks or bone into the pot and cover with enough water to cover the bones.
Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a slow simmer and allow to simmer until the ham hocks have started to seperate, about 1 to 2 hours.
Remove the bones and onion from the broth and allow to cool before removing meat from the bones if using.
Continue simmering the remaining broth.
Sort and rinse the navy beans and add to the pot.
Add enough water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches.
Peel the carrots and finely dice. Add to the ham broth.
Finely dice the remaining onion half and add to the broth.
Bring the beans to a boil while stirring occasionally.
Once the beans come to a full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer.
Continue simmering beans, stirring occasionally until the beans are completely cooked, about 2 to 3 hours.
Add diced ham about 30 minutes before the beans are done.
Add additional water as necessary to keep the beans just covered during cooking.
Serve hot with a side of buttermilk cornbread.
Notes
Other white beans can be used, adjust cooking time based on the type of beans used. Great Northern beans are perfect for this recipe and commonly used in the Midwest.
Ham base can be used as a substitute for ham hocks or leftover ham bone. This will only need to be simmered until the onion has cooked down.
To make navy bean soup, keep beans covered with at least 1 inch of water during the entire simmering process.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 371mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g
