Senate Bean Soup (With a Shortcut)
This is an old-fashioned Senate bean soup recipe with a shortcut that includes tender beans and smoked turkey in a flavorful broth for the most hearty comfort food dish imaginable.
Have you heard of Senate bean soup before? Made with navy beans, ham hocks, and onion, its name originates from the fact it’s been traditionally served in the dining room of the United States Senate daily since the early 20th century. I love this famous soup because it’s simultaneously flavorful, filling, and the ultimate comfort food dish.
But in my mind, it needed to be made a bit more accessible for folks who don’t have all day to soak their beans as you do for my pinto beans and ham recipe. So, this is my shortcut Senate bean soup recipe. Fortunately, it tastes every bit as good as the old-fashioned version. So, wondering what ingredients you need to get your hands on to make Senate soup? It’s simple: lots of navy beans, onion, garlic, celery, butter, chicken broth, instant mashed potatoes, and a smoked turkey leg is the piece de resistance!
The instructions are just as easy. We first cook the turkey leg in the broth, saute the veggies and seasonings in the butter, then combine all the ingredients together. Then we just have to patiently wait for it to simmer and for all the flavors to mingle together before we can serve it to our hungry family! Sometimes it’s the simple flavors that are the best and the combination of the beans, smoked turkey, and flavorful broth will have you coming back for more.
I don’t think you’ll find a saltier, heartier, or thicker soup recipe, which is why this easy Senate bean soup is a favorite in my household. A little goes a long way and leftovers can be reheated and enjoyed for lunch the next day. I mean, say less!
Recipe Ingredients
- Navy beans
- Minced garlic
- Onion
- Unsalted butter or margarine
- Chicken stock/bullion cubes
- Celery
- Instant mashed potatoes
- Smoked turkey leg
How to Make Senate Bean Soup
Place bullion cubes in a pot with six cups of water (or substitute for chicken broth if you prefer) and add the turkey leg.
Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
The turkey leg does not have to be covered with water/broth.
Place butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until lightly brown.
Like this.
Remove turkey leg from broth and dice it up once cool.
Add onion mixture, beans, and diced turkey.
Stir in salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes before serving.
Oh my goodness, glorious comfort food on a chilly day!
I hope you get to make this Senate bean soup soon.
Storage
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave.
- It also freezes VERY well for up to 3 months. I took my leftovers and put them in a mason jar, leaving plenty of head space, and froze it to eat later. When it was time, I let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- Now, you can substitute the instant mashed potatoes for actual mashed potatoes if you prefer. You’ll need to boil 1 large Russet potato and mash it with about 1/2 cup of milk before adding it to the soup. But this recipe is all about shortcuts, so I’ll stick to the instant option!
- Another option is to substitute the turkey leg for smoked ham hocks or a meaty ham bone. You may need to simmer for another 30 minutes to ensure the meat is tender.
- Have a leftover ham bone from Easter? Turn it into Senate bean soup!
- You can really use any type of white beans in Senate bean soup, like cannellini beans or Great Northern beans.
Recipe FAQs
How do you thicken Senate bean soup?
With a thickening agent. In this case, I’m using instant mashed potatoes because they’re the most brilliant soup thickener. Another option is to make a slurry by stirring one teaspoon of cornstarch or all-purpose flour into cold water and adding that to the soup. You can continue to use this method a teaspoon at a time until it’s to your desired consistency.
How do you serve Senate bean soup?
Here are some soup serving suggestions:
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chives.
- Serve with homemade biscuits, cornbread, or crusty bread.
Can I make navy bean soup in the Instant Pot?
Yes, Instant Pot Senate bean soup is just as simple. Follow Instant Pot directions for cooking the turkey leg and sauteing the vegetables if you like. Then add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on the manual setting for 45 minutes before releasing naturally.
Check out these other comforting soup recipes:
Creamy Vegetable Soup (Low-Carb Version)
How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Taco Soup (The World’s Easiest Supper)
Ingredients
- 4 15-ounce cans navy beans, undrained
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 chicken bullion cubes (6 cups of chicken broth)
- 1 smoked turkey leg
- 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 1 stick margarine or butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place bullion cubes in a pot with six cups of water (or sub for straight chicken broth instead) and add the turkey leg. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. The turkey leg does not have to be covered with broth.4 chicken bullion cubes, 1 smoked turkey leg
- Place butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until lightly brown.3 stalks celery, chopped, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 onion, chopped, 1 stick margarine or butter
- Remove the turkey leg from the broth and dice it up when cool. Add instant potatoes to broth and stir. Then add onion mixture, beans, and diced turkey. Stir in salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes before serving.4 15-ounce cans navy beans, undrained, 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
Nutrition
Gentle reminder: We don’t talk politics on any of my platforms. This post was originally published in 2010 and I updated the photos and the post in 2020.
This recipe was featured in Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck!
This sounds wonderful! Thanks for the wonderful post and for the great quote. I stole it for my FB status.
That soup sounds wonderful, I will try it very, very soon. Other than the cost, my problem is that recipes calling for real butter don’t always tell you whether to buy salted or unsalted… I guess you could buy unsalted and then add salt if necessary. What do you recommend??
Hi Debbie. I don’t see that anyone answered your question, so I’ll start. I always use unsalted butter. Most recipes call for salt anyway, and this allows me to control the sodium and salt to our tastes. Hope that helps.
Mary is right on the money – great minds think alike (or whatever our minds are, Mary! lol).
I use unsalted when baking and cooking IF I am going to use butter because you can always add salt and most recipes already have it in there, but you can’t easily take the salt out.
Now if I were to buy butter specifically for crackers, I’d get salted…
hehe
Christy 🙂
Don’t you just love butter on saltine crackers. That is such a treat for me. I didn’t know anyone else did that.
OK…I’m one of those SUPER literal people who can’t cook a THING without a recipe, so I just want to clarify, to be sure. The picture shows FOUR cans of Navy beans, and the recipe calls for 4, but the text under the pic says I need THREE cans. I’m using 4, right?? (unless you are expecting that I have a can waiting patiently in my pantry, for a chance to join the party, and I only need to PURCHASE 3?? HA!)
I don’t do math, Treva…you’re supposed to be reading my mind 🙂
I’ll go change it to four.
its four, honest.
ooh, i hate math, lol
Made this for dinner last night, and my husband LOVED it!! I did, too, so this will be a fantastic repeat in our household! Thanks!
Oh my gosh, I just love the way you ‘speak’! You’ve got such a way of making me feel like I was right there with you! I’m right there with you about the price of butter, and am currently rejoicing that our Walmart has them on sale for $1.50 a box!! Can you believe it?! I’m going to be making a batch of shortbread today.
I am so looking forward to seeing your book when it comes out! Do you think I can mail my copy to you for an autograph, so I can say that I knew you before you were big and famous and had no time for us small people? 😉
Get a red marker and mark the calendar!!! I am jumping up and down for you…..you used REAL BUTTER!!! Butter makes everything better, in my opinion, and I always laugh at your references about cheap ingredients. A box of butter in my grocery store sells for $1.69 all day, every day. I will happily pay the difference to get the taste and texture that my “soul craves in real butter tee hee. This soup looks AMAZING and I shall look for ham hocks upon my next trip out into the arctic tundra for groceries. Say hello to Mary Poppins for all of us. ~waves to Ricky as he eats a saltine w/ butter on it~
Congrat on Mary Poppins — she sounds heavenly!! And that butter — we never have real butter either.
Oh Christy my dear butter is one of those small luxuries in life that we must give ourselves occasionally. I buy both but save the butter for baking and for smearing all over warm homemade bread and unfrosted warm yellow cake. Simply divine! Thank you so much for such a great site and yet another wonderful recipe!
My question is…when the book signings start are you going to give us in the Southern Plate family a pass to the front of the line for an autograph? LOL