Senate Bean Soup

Recipe Courtesy of Cathy Lowe

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (14)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(14)

Cook Time:
--
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 servings

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Ingredients

1 pound dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over for stones
12 cups water
1 ham hock
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup shopped carrot
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions

To soak beans: In a large bowl, cover beans with water by 2 inches and let soak for 8-10 hours (overnight) and drain. Alternatively, place beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and tightly cover pan with plastic wrap. Let sit for an hour.

In a large heavy pot, combine beans with ham hock, bay leaf and 12 cups of water. Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are just tender. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, potato and garlic. Simmer for another hour or until soup is very thick. Remove ham hock and strip off meat from bone, discarding the rind and fat. Stir meat into soup and season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and serve hot.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Senate Bean Soup
null null, null 12-29-2009
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Not enough beans!
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Way too much water and not enough beans. I like my bean soup thicker and not so watery. I wish I would of made Paula Dean's... receipe for senate bean soup.Read more
recipe Senate Bean Soup
william aylett, VA 01-12-2009
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Perfect winter time soup
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe cooks down to a nice tthick soup. I like to add some white wine a couple of minutes before taking it off the... stove.Read more
recipe Senate Bean Soup
Anonymous 04-18-2008
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The Real Recipe
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

If you want the authentic recipe that is actually prepared for the Senate in the cafeterias and dining room, it's at... Senate.gov. This recipe on foodnetwork is fine, just cut back to 8 or 9 cups of water if you love it really thick. And, you have to use your instincts about how much hock or ham bone you use and if something doesn't feel right about a recipe, use your common sense. Obviously, a little 4 oz hock will not flavor this soup well. I used a bone with meat on it from a smoked ham - it was probably about 22 oz, and it worked great. I've worked for the Senate for years, and have eaten the bean soup many times. It's an institution, but not something that would be served in a 4 star restaurant!Read more
recipe Senate Bean Soup
Anonymous 03-28-2008
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great bean soup!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My family loves this soup! I use leftover Honey-Baked Ham (with bone) to make it and it turns out delicious!
recipe Senate Bean Soup
Dawn Olney, MD 01-04-2008
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Tasty & Filling
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I found this soup very flavorful. I added 5 chicken bouillon cubes to the water initially. I also added a cut up carrot, a... cut up stalk of celery and a 3" piece of leek (from the top section), cut up, and cracked pepper. After the first hour, I took out the bigger pieces of carrot & celery. I then took out the bone and the bigger pieces of meat. I stripped the bone and put it back in the pot with the veggies to be added at this time. Instead of regular onion, I diced 1 small red onion and cut up the remainder of the leek and added them to the pot. I followed the recipe to the end by taking out the bone & bay leaf and added back some some shredded ham. These additions made a very good soup.Read more
recipe Senate Bean Soup
BRYAN Fort Wright, KY 12-31-2007
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It just needs a few minor tweaks
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This is a great starter recipe. To kick it into requests for thirds, try the following. Substitute 1/2 of the water with... low sodium chicken broth. Add two dashes of hot pepper sauce. If available, use the bone from a spiral cut ham. You can stick blend a cup of the beans/veg's if you like it thicker. I find that the second day, the potatoes naturally break down for added thickness.Read more