Senators Come & Go, but Bean Soup Stays

According to the U.S. Senate, the history of Senate Bean Soup is more legend and guesswork than verifiable fact.

Senate Bean Soup has been on the Senate cafeteria’s menu for more than a century. (Photo: Contributed)

According to one story, Sen. Fred Dubois of Idaho actually passed a resolution in the early 1900s that the soup remain on the menu every day. (In its early days, the recipe included mashed potatoes; it no longer does.) Another says that in 1903, Sen. Knute Nelson of Minnesota expressed his fondness for the soup and insisted it be on the menu every day.

Either way, some form of Senate bean soup has been on the menu every single day more than a century with one exception. For one day during World War II, the soup was unavailable due to food rations.

The House of Representatives has its own competing bean soup, which also remains on the House cafeteria menu every day.

The U.S. Senate bean soup is a hearty and easy ham and bean soup. It is perfect for cozy fall and winter nights. This easy Navy bean soup, though sometimes labeled touristy, is salty and thick and stick-to-your-ribs.

If you want to enjoy official Senate Bean Soup today, there are two options. One is to head to the Senate cafeteria, on the ground floor of the Dirksen Office Building. The other is to make it yourself.

Because this is an easy soup to make, and requires no more travel than to the grocery store, the “make your own” ham and bean soup option gets our vote.

Start with the ham and beans. Many soups call for cooking the onions first, then adding everything else. But here, the ham and beans cook together first. This not only makes a delicious ham stock, but the beans cook and get infused with flavor from the outset.

Cook the onions in the butter just until translucent, then add to the soup. Stir, simmer, and season.
senate bean soup recipe

The soup flavors are best described as hammy and beany. Probably because those are the only ingredients other than an onion and dab of butter! That is a good thing.

Senate Bean Soups makes a hearty fall or winter meal. (Photo: Contributed)

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry navy beans
• 3/4 pound smoked ham hock
• 2 quarts cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional, but it will help the beans soften)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Kosher salt, to taste (I do about 2 teaspoons)
• Fresh black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Rinse the navy beans and pick over. Place beans into large pot with the ham hock, two quarts of cold water and the baking soda, if using.
• Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for approximately 3 hours in a covered pot with the lid barely cracked, stirring occasionally, until the beans have fully softened.
• If the pot of beans starts to look a little dry, add more water until you have a very thick, creamy soup consistency.
• Remove the ham hock and set it aside on a dish to cool. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and lightly brown. Add the diced, buttery onion to the soup.
• Pull meat from the ham hock into bite-sized pieces and return the meat to soup. Stir. Discard the picked-over ham bone.
• Before serving, bring the soup to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Serve on its own or with a nice green salad to complement the richness of the soup.

 
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to three days and freezes well.