Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup with Smoked Pork and Diced Ham 🍲

I’d been planning this recipe/video for several weeks and even cooked a whole ham about a month ago so that I could freeze the bone and leftover meat. I kept putting it off for various reasons and then finally put it on the calendar to record last week. But then, we had an uninvited guest – Hurricane Milton. Not fun. We evacuated with our three cats. Also not fun. Other than power outages, everything seemed in order when we returned home two days after the storm. Lots of cleanup in the yard and lots of food to throw out from 72 hours without power, but no permanent damage to the house. As I’m writing this (exactly 7 days after Milton), there are still about 20,000 people in the Tampa Bay area without power and I don’t know how many people without a home to which they can return. And too many lives lost. We’re getting back into a “normal” routine, but the sights of roadside piles of debris, uprooted trees, and demolished roofs are constant reminders as we drive to/from work and go about our daily lives. Not to mention the half-empty shelves at grocery stores that purged all perishables after the outages. They’re gradually being replenished each day. Gas was also scarce for a long time and is only just now becoming more available. I was literally limiting my driving to only work and back until I found a full gas station last night on the way home. But we are OK and that’s what’s important! And this soup is divine! We love any kind of bean soup and this one is a classic. NOTES: • Bean Choices: Navy beans are the norm, but Great Northerns are a good substitute. GN’s are slightly bigger, but they cook just the same. • Meat Choices: Any smoked ham or turkey with bone and meat attached would work great here. I made one with turkey and it was so delicious! Not sure if the smoking process changed the meat so much that it really tastes “hammy” and I wouldn’t have know it wasn’t ham if not for the color. Turkey is a bit more expensive, but with Thanksgiving season coming, I’ll be looking for some thighs or cut legs to go on sale. • Salt Levels: Wait until after cooking to add extra salt. The meats and broth will already have salt so you may find that you don’t need to add any extra salt at all. • SIDENOTE: In researching for this video, I found some interesting histories behind both “Navy Bean Soup” and “Senate Bean Soup” as they are often spoken of interchangeably. Many variations in different recipes, but you can experiment to find the perfect combination of ingredients that can become a family favorite. **This video and description contain affiliate links. If you click on a product link, I will receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to make more videos. Thank you for the support!** Instant Pot Duo Mini (3 Quart): https://amzn.to/2SxJo5d Instant Pot Duo 6qt: https://amzn.to/43bDS9Q Today’s Ingredients: 1 lb dried navy beans 2 TB extra virgin olive oil 1 cup onion, small diced 1 cup carrots, small diced 1 cup celery, small diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried oregano ½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 2 bay leaves 8 cups chicken broth (Better-than-Bouillon and water in the video) 1½ – 2 lbs smoked ham shank (or similar smoked ham or turkey with bone and meat attached) 8 oz leftover or packaged cooked ham, small diced (optional) salt & pepper, to taste ½ cup fresh parsley, rough chopped (optional) Optional Toppings/Accompaniments Suggestions: • fresh parsley • pat of butter • parmesan cheese • crusty bread Instructions: 1. Pick over and rinse the dried beans, discarding any broken, misshapen, or discolored beans. 2. Preheat the Instant Pot on the highest sauté setting and add the oil when the display reads “HOT.” Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring once or twice, until just softened. 3. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring continuously for just another minute – no longer than 1 minute to avoid scorching the garlic. 4. Add 1 cup chicken broth to deglaze the bottom. Make sure to scrape up any stuck-on browned bits from the bottom of the pot to avoid a “BURN” warning later. 5. Add the rinsed beans, smoked ham shank, and remaining chicken broth. Arrange the ingredients as evenly as possible with the smoked ham shank nestled to the bottom and fully covered by the liquid. 6. Lock and seal the lid and cook on high for 40 minutes followed by a natural pressure release. 7. Remove the ham shank and harvest the meat, shredding into small pieces. Discard the bone and return the meat to the pot. Also, discard the bay leaves as you find them. 8. Optional: Add extra diced ham if you have leftovers and like a meaty navy bean soup. 9. Taste and add salt and black pepper to your liking. 10. Serve with chopped parsley and/or other optional toppings and ENJOY!