Senate Bean Soup (no politics, please!)

Senate bean soup is very tasty and hearty! Here's the text copied from my mom's recipe card (recipe format below):

"Put two cups of white beans, and a hambone with some meat on it, in 3 qts water and let them soak all night. Then start simmering them, which should continue for at least two hours. At the end of the first hour, add 1/2 cup of cooked, mashed potatoes. Stir the soup thoroughly, until the potatoes are well mixed. Then add 3 finely chopped onions, a whole bunch of celery (tips stalks & all) chopped finely, a clove of minced garlic & 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley. Let it simmer the second hour. Then take out hambone, chop pieces of meat from bone and put back in soup. A big bowl of this and all you'll need is dessert and coffee."


I am writing up the recipe below with several tweaks that I tend to use. For example, I usually don't have a ham bone, so use a smoked pork hock - which adds tons of flavor!


Note: this makes a LOT of soup. I almost overflowed our pot. Maybe try a half portion first if you're not sure your pot will fit!


Senate Bean Soup
1 lb white beans (navy beans work well)
ham bone/hock
ham (if not enough on bone - I used one pack of large-diced ham)
1 small/med potato
3 onions
bunch celery
1/4 c parsley (or some dried parsley, if you forgot to get fresh like I did)
garlic - I use several cloves, original recipe uses 1
salt and pepper

Soak beans with bone overnight in 3 qt water - or enough to cover bone.

Bring beans up to a simmer and note the time - wait an hour to add next ingredients.

While waiting, peel and slice potato, and boil in a separate pot until soft - then drain and mash. It's quite all right if there's more than a half cup!

After 1 hour, add potatoes.

Dice onions and celery, mince garlic, chop parsley, and add to soup. I put the onions and garlic in a skillet with a little olive oil and butter and cook on low heat for a few minutes before adding them.

Add the diced ham at this point as well, and some salt and pepper.

Simmer another hour. It will start sticking to the bottom so be sure to keep stirring and scraping so it doesn't scorch. Check the seasoning again before you serve.



This goes really well with cornbread, which can be made during that last hour of cooking!