Slow Cooker Navy Bean and Potato Stew

 Slow Cooker Navy Bean and Potato Stew

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

2 cups dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
4 cups russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 cups water (or enough to cover beans and potatoes by about 1 inch)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

Navy beans and chopped potatoes laid out for stew prep

Directions

Rinse the dried navy beans under cool running water and pick out any broken beans or small stones. No need to soak for this recipe, but you can soak overnight if you prefer a slightly shorter cooking time.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly 1-inch chunks. Aim for pieces that are all about the same size so they cook evenly and turn tender at the same time.

Add the rinsed navy beans and potato chunks to the slow cooker crock, spreading them out into an even layer so everything is mixed together.

Slow cooker filled with raw navy beans and potatoes

Pour in 6 cups of water, or enough to cover the beans and potatoes by about 1 inch. The liquid will look thin at first, but it will thicken as the beans break down and the potatoes soften during cooking.

Sprinkle the salt over the top and stir gently to combine. You can start with 2 teaspoons and adjust the seasoning later, since the flavors will concentrate as the stew cooks and thickens.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours, or on HIGH for 4–5 hours. Cooking time can vary slightly depending on your slow cooker, but you’re looking for the navy beans to be very soft and creamy and the potatoes to be tender and starting to break down around the edges.

Once the beans and potatoes are fully cooked, give the stew a good stir. Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to gently mash some of the potatoes and beans right in the slow cooker. This will thicken the broth into a creamy, pale stew while still leaving plenty of whole beans and chunks of potato for texture.

Cooked stew being mashed slightly in the slow cooker

Taste the stew and add more salt if needed. If the stew is thicker than you like, stir in a little hot water to loosen it; if it’s thinner than you want, leave the lid off and cook on HIGH for another 15–20 minutes to reduce slightly.

Serve the stew hot, ladled straight from the slow cooker into bowls.