
Senate Bean Soup
Total Time
Prep: 30 min. + standing Cook: 3-3/4 hours + cooling
Yield
10 servings (2-1/2 quarts)
Senate bean soup has been served in the Senate every day since the beginning of the 20th century. Here's the recipe they just can't get enough of.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried great northern beans or dried navy beans
- 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup mashed potatoes or 1/3 cup instant potato flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Minced parsley or chives
Directions
- Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened.
- Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, place the beans, ham bone or hocks and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- Skim off fat if necessary. Add the onions, garlic, celery, parsley, potatoes, salt and pepper; simmer 1 hour longer.
- Set aside ham bones until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and return to Dutch oven. Heat through. Sprinkle with parsley or chives.
Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 219 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 11mg cholesterol, 342mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 10g fiber), 15g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat.
Chock-full of ham, beans and celery, this hearty soup makes a wonderful meal at any time of year. Freeze the bone from a holiday ham until you're ready to make soup. Plus, once prepared, it freezes well for a great make-ahead supper!
—Rosemarie Forcum
White Stone, Virginia
Recipe Creator
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