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!
LOL@ your husband who can’t whisper!! That is my husband to a “T”!
He is so loud because he grew up living with his mamam and grandparents who were ALL hard of hearing. I tell him he doesn’t know how to whisper, but bless his heart, he is trying to learn! 😉
And I love me some real butter too. I do still buy margarine – in a tub – but I only use it when I need butter to be SPREADABLE. So it gets used for grilled cheese or toast, but that’s pretty much it. I grew up on margarine, and didn’t think real butter was “all that” until I was grown. I always buy the store brand though, except the rare occassion when the name brand is on sale for cheaper. But I will heartily agree with you on the instant potato thing! 🙂
I’m eagerly awaiting your cookbook too! I’ve tried several of your recipes, but having a cookbook in hand to use, I’d probably try dang near every one of ’em! Oh, and I added the cream of chicken soup to my chicken and dumplings last week, which I’d never done before, and I really did like the difference it made! Our recipes were pretty much identical except for that. Now, they will be the same! 🙂
I made this Sunday night, and had just enough for leftovers last night. It sure was good! 🙂 My oldest went on and on about it, and wanted me to make it again tonight. LOL!
I, too, wouldn’t mind adding some finely chopped carrots to this. And I love ham hocks in beans, but I wouldn’t be adverse to a hambone with a bit of meat left on it for the meat in here, and a couple of hocks just for flavor. ‘Cause you just can’t get much meat off of ’em! I’ve always put them in my crock pot beans and the meat just falls off, but it was quite a lot of work to cut them up!
Thanks for another great recipe Christy!
Made the bean soup tonight and it was absolutly de-vine……It made so much I’m sharing w/sis and her family and enough for me to eat it again…of course had to make cornbread and thats a meal..fit for a king or queen. Love you posts and share your recipes w/everyone…
We drive old cars, buy store-brand of most products, eat out a couple of times a year, even buy some of our clothes at GoodWill, but I always use real butter. Some things are just required!
Which one of you southern gals has the recipe for panfried gravy, like Crackerbarrel makes? I love it. I don’t want any sausage drippings in it. In West Virginia, they made it with water, not milk. We don’t drink or use cow’s milk, but use rice milk. And can it be made with whole wheat flour instead of white? Have any of you experimented to get a good, healthy gravy? I eat meat, but don’t want it in my gravy. Can anyone help?
I’m afraid “healthy gravy” may be an oxymoron.
This recipe sounds soooooo good…now hash up and pass me some of them beans…! 😉
check out walmart brand butter- we’re only paying $1.50 a box- and it’s JUST FINE!!!
i grew up with butter for baking and cooking, and i’ll shortcut sometimes, but it does make a difference in some recipes!
I took part of my Christmas hambone (which I froze), threw it in the slow cooker with a bag o’ Navy beans (washed and picked out the bad ones, of course) and 2 teaspoons of salt. Turned the “low” and left for the day. Returned 8 hours later, made cornbread with bacon grease…sliced with a pat of real butter…all delicious and oh-so-easy. I did mash some beans to make it a tiny bit thicker.
I was reading the comments on a myrecipes.com recipe and someone wrote “You still use hydrogenated transfats (AKA shortening)? I only use butter.” Snooty. But I have to have real butter on my cornbread and toast. Buy it on sale and keep it in the freezer. (wink)