Step 1

Start by soaking the dry navy beans overnight. Place the beans in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. The next day, drain and rinse the beans.

Step 2

Dice the onion, the carrot, and the celery stalk. Mince the garlic cloves.

Step 3

Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a large soup pot or Dutch oven with olive oil over medium heat, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Step 4

Add the soaked & drained beans, ham hock, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried rosemary, smoked paprika, black pepper, and chicken broth to the pot. Gently stir to combine all the ingredients.

Step 5

Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and begin to break down (approximately 1.5 hours). Flip the ham hock over once or twice, while the soup is simmering, so that it gets even exposure to the hot liquid.

Step 6

Once the beans are tender, remove the ham hock and pull the meat from the bone, then add the ham meat back to the soup.

Step 7

Now mash some of the beans against the side of the pot and stir the mashed beans back into the soup. Continue to simmer the soup uncovered for about 30 minutes to reduce some of the liquid and to thicken the soup further.

Step 8

Taste the soup and add salt, if needed. I ended up adding 1/4 tsp of salt after tasting. The amount of salt needed will depend highly on the type of broth used. Serve hot with some crusty bread for dipping and enjoy!