As far back as I can remember, everything was grated by hand or chopped very fine for this soup. When adding the vegetables, you can now use a food processor with all the new technology in small appliances.
The soup is just full of flavor, tiny beans, and the most comforting, economical soup probably on the planet.
In just a few hours, you'll have this hardy bowl of the best-tasting Italian soup in its authentic original recipe, just like Grandma used to make when we were kids.
Serve our tasty soup with Tuscan garlic bread or pita points, and you will be sitting in front of this bowl with an addiction to this soup we grew up on!
If you love the flavors of ham, you may want to try our Spiral Honey Baked Ham recipe and save the bone.
We are big fans of any kind of Italian dish made with white beans, especially Escarole and Beans and Pasta Fagioli.
Scroll down to this printable recipe at the bottom and check out some of our alternatives for vegetables and meats to use anything that can go in this soup.
Why You Will Love This Navy Bean Depression Soup Recipe
- Budget-friendly: Navy beans are one of the most affordable pantry staples, making this soup an ideal choice for cost-conscious cooking.
- Simple ingredients: No fancy or hard-to-find items—just classic, everyday basics.
- Comforting and filling: Creamy beans and savory broth make this soup satisfying enough for a full meal.
- Great for leftovers: The flavors deepen over time, so it tastes even better the next day.
- Customizable: Easily adapt it to what you have on hand or your family’s preferences.
- Vintage Family Recipe: Growing up in the Central part of Utica, New York, winters are very cold, and my mom and my grandma made this soup very often during those months. It feeds a large family economically and is very delicious.
- Navy bean soup is the food of my childhood. It’s rich, filling, comforting, and can feed a large crowd on a very tight budget.
Heartier Additions for Bean Soup
- If you want to turn this economical soup into a stick-to-your-ribs meal, try adding:
- Smoked ham, ham hocks, or bacon for deep, savory flavor
- Smoked sausage or kielbasa sliced into rounds
- Diced potatoes for extra bulk and comfort
- Carrots, celery, and onions for classic, hearty texture
- Leafy greens like kale or spinach are stirred in at the end
- Cooked rice or small pasta to stretch the soup even further
Tips and Alternative
- Use any dried beans such as cannellini, red or black beans, chickpeas, or lentils
- Serve with toasted garlic bread or plain hard-crusted bread
- This soup can be made with a chicken carcass, turkey, ham hocks, pigs feet, pork shoulder bone, bacon grease, chuck steak cubes, and lamb bones
- Save some of the meat off the bones to add to your soup
- For herbs flavored, add more herbs you like, thyme, a small sprig of rosemary, basil and oregano are good choices
- Italian medley of dried herbs can be substituted
- For a little heat, add some red pepper flakes to the top
- Drizzle the top with olive oil when serving and Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container, and it freezes well
- Slow Cooker and Instant Pot can be used for a modern version. See the recipe card below
Try Some of My Other Favorite Recipes
Our Best Soup Recipes
Escarole and Beans)green and beans)
15 Bean Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Pin for later: Navy Bean Soup
Other Suggestions For Serving this Depression Bean Soup
This navy bean soup is terrific served alongside Bruschetta or a Panzanella Salad.
This soup is really a whole meal in itself, but served with some homemade breadsticks, homemade bread, and our 9 assortments of flavored butter is a wonderful addition to this meal.
Yield: 18
Grandma's Depression Bean Soup
Rich ham bone soup using tiny navy beans tiny beans and the most comforting economical soup probably on the planet
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
Ingredients
- Note: Although grandma soaked the beans overnight most of the packaged beans found today will say no soaking is required now so you will have to follow the packing instructions however sort the beans for pebbles.
- 1 -pound (16-ounce package) of dried navy beans or use whatever other beans you prefer
- 1 large ham bone with some of the scraps of meat left on, or use ham hock
- Other Alternative meats to use: pork shoulder or butt bone, cooked fried bacon with some of the leftover grease, carcass of a chicken or turkey, bones from chuck roast or other beef, any leftovers from the week like pork chops, smoked pork chops, etc.
- 1 large carrot grated (or put through the food processor the modern version)
- 2 stalks of celery chopped fine (or put through the food processor to chop)
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon each, flat leaf parsley, fresh basil, chopped thyme
- pinch of rosemary
- salt, and pepper to your taste
- water or use chicken broth ( 8 cups)
Instructions
- Place the beans in a 5 to 8-quart soup pot with water covered and boil them on a low simmer for around 1 hour (check to see if they softened up.
- note: I precook my beans to get all the residue off then rinse follow the package instructions if you want to skip this step.
- In a small pan add the oil and saute the garlic and onion together.
- If boiling the beans first, then drain the beans and rinse them to get any residue off them.
- Add the beans back to the soup pot, and place the bone of meat scraps left on the bone into the pot with herbs, spices, and vegetables along with sauteed onion and garlic.
- Cover with water.
- Simmer until the beans are soft and the soup is rich in flavor from whatever meat you're using.
- Add salt, and pepper to taste.
- This takes around 1 to 1 hour and 30 minutes on a slow simmer.
- Ladle into bowls.
- Optional Serving Suggestions:
- Serve with grated cheese on top, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of olive oil, and homemade hard-crusted bread.
- Modern version: substitute chicken broth instead of water or add better than bouillon paste to the instructions on the jar.
- Other Cooking Methods:
- Slow cooker: add all the ingredients to the pot on high for 6 to 8 hours
- Instant pot follow the directions in your instructions manual for making soup
Notes
Tips and Alternative
- Use any dried beans such as cannellini, red or black beans, chickpeas, lentils
- Serve with toasted garlic bread or plain hard-crusted bread
- This soup can be made with a chicken carcass, turkey, ham hocks, pigs feet, pork shoulder bone, bacon grease, chuck steak cubes, lamb bones
- Save some of the meat off the bones to add to your soup
- For herbs flavored add more herbs you like, thyme, a small sprig of rosemary, basil and oregano are good choices
- Italian medley of dried herbs can be substituted
- For a little heat add some red pepper flakes to the top
- Drizzle the top with olive oil when serving and Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container and it freezes well
- Add a few tablespoons of red Tomato Paste for color if you like a tomato base
Other Cooking Methods:
- Slow cooker: add all the ingredients to the pot on high for 6 to 8 hours
- Instant pot follow the directions in your instructions manual for making soup
Pin for later
More recipes we love:
Escarole and Beans
15 Pasta Recipes
20 Bean Recipes
Southwest One Pan Bean Filling
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2011. It was edited and re-published in 2022.
