My Grandma made the best navy bean soup ever!  Period.  End of debate.  She called it Navy Bean Soup but we always referred to her masterpiece with a resounding “Ham On The Bone”!  Yes, she left the ham on the bone and left it in the soup.  Why waste a minute of that flavor soaking into the broth and beans.  You just sort of dug around in there, hoping to knock a few chunks of ham off the bone with the ladle and into your bowl. 

Any way you make it, Navy Bean Soup is probably one of the most satisfying soups there is on the entire planet.  Depending on the garden, my Grandma would add carrots, onions, parsnips, parsley, potatoes, and whatever she could dig up or snip off.  Now, I’ve made this soup a few times in my life, but it never, ever, will turn out as good as my Grandma’s Navy Bean Soup.  That’s just the way nostalgia works. I would, however, like to hear if anyone else has a favorite memory or recipe using navy beans.  I don’t know if it would be worth trying them in a casserole, or a salad, but why don’t you tell me what you think.