15 Easy Recipes With Navy Beans

Updated March 16, 2020
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Got an extra can of navy beans? From comforting chilis (this Creamy White Chicken Chili and this White Lightning Chicken Chili are two of our favorites) to delicious soups and salads (you'll love this Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon and this White Bean-Asparagus Salad with Bacon and Thyme), we've got you covered. 

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Creamy White Chicken Chili

Credit: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee

Creamy White Chicken Chili Recipe

This Creamy White Chicken Chili is super easy to make—seriously, it only takes 30 minutes, and it’s manageable for beginner cooks. To make it even easier, you could even use a rotisserie chicken. It’s rich, packed with beans, vegetables, and chicken, and isn’t too spicy, but you can always add hot sauce or sliced fresh jalapeños to up the heat factor.

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

Credit: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee

Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe

This Buffalo Chicken Chili combines two of the best foods around to make one ultimate dish. It’s hearty, full of chicken and veggies, and has a subtly spiced buffalo flavor. The vegetables, especially the corn, add a bit of sweetness, while the beans offer creaminess that stands out from the cream cheese enriched broth.

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Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon Recipe

Packed with veggies and flavored with a little bacon, this recipe will warm you up on a chilly day. This hearty soup is as versatile as it is delicious. Substitute collards for the kale, use another type of small dried beans, or add heat with red pepper flakes.

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Indian Dal Baked Beans

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Indian Dal Baked Beans Recipe

The standard backyard-barbecue side takes a global turn with warm spices, but the beans are still perfectly at home alongside burgers and hot dogs.

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Capitol Hill Bean Soup

Credit: Greg DuPree

Capitol Hill Bean Soup Recipe

If you don’t have time to soak the dried beans for 8 hours or overnight, try this quick-soak method. Put the beans in a large pot, add water 2 inches above the beans, and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Drain the beans, and then cook according to the recipe.

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Red Pepper Soup with Gouda

Red Pepper Soup with Gouda Recipe

Red pepper meets gouda cheese for the perfectly balanced dinner or lunch option. This vibrant, spicy soup recipe is made simple with the help of your Instant Pot. 

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Vegetable Beef Soup 

Vegetable Beef Soup  Recipe

This hearty beef and veggie soup recipe is made simple with the pressure cooking power of your Instant Pot. Swap In A Snap! Use spinach or chard in place of the kale.

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White Bean, Turkey Sausage, and Tortellini Soup 

White Bean, Turkey Sausage, and Tortellini Soup  Recipe

This hearty soup recipe is made easy with the pressure cooking power of your Instant Pot. 

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White Bean and Jackfruit Chili

Credit: Daniel Agee, Styling: Blakeslee Giles and Audrey Davis

White Bean and Jackfruit Chili Recipe

In the vegan and vegetarian world, jackfruit is a blessing when it comes to adding a hearty touch to typically meaty dishes such as chili. Jackfruit has a mild flavor that is a lot like a blank canvas that easily takes on the flavors of sauces or spices used with it. In the case of this flavorful and cozy dish, spices like coriander, paprika, oregano, and cumin add a warm and toasty edge to this can't-believe-it's-vegan chili. The jackfruit has a shockingly good meaty texture while the supporting flavors lend it an unforgettable quality that simply proves that a meatless chili can actually be very meaty and satisfying. 

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Smoky Chipotle Baked Beans

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Smoky Chipotle Baked Beans Recipe

You might be surprised to learn that baked beans often contain a good bit of sugar--usually from brown sugar, molasses, and/or ketchup. A classic recipe might have 15g total sugars per 1/2-cup serving; ours contains just 5g (only 2g added from a little maple syrup), allowing the smoky flavors of bacon, chipotle, and smoked paprika to pop.

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Wheat Berry and Summer Vegetable Sauté

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Wheat Berry and Summer Vegetable Sauté Recipe

Combining a wheat berry mixture in a sauté of summer vegetables makes this an excellent summer side. 

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White Beans with Sorrel Pesto

Credit: Thomas J. Story

White Beans with Sorrel Pesto Recipe

Fresh sorrel, a hardy, leafy green perennial, gives simple white beans a zap of color and a lemony tang. Farmers' markets often carry it from spring into early fall, depending on where you live. If you can't find it, swap in basil. This recipe comes from Erin Scott, creator of the blog (and cookbook) Yummy Supper.

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White Bean-Asparagus Salad with Bacon and Thyme

Credit: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Rachael Burrow

White Bean-Asparagus Salad with Bacon and Thyme Recipe

This hearty salad with beans, asparagus and bacon is so hearty it could almost pass for a main dish!

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Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Quinoa

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Quinoa Recipe

Healthy and hearty, this quinoa chili will become a family favorite. The recipe calls for a bottle of beer; use your favorite seasonal brew to amp up the flavor. The alcohol will evaporate as the chili simmers in the slow cooker.

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White Lightning Chicken Chili

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Buffy Hargett

White Lightning Chicken Chili Recipe

White Lightning Chicken Chili gets its name because it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish to get this one-dish meal to the table. Don't drain the chopped green chiles or navy beans. Serve chili with cornbread.

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