Senate bean soup from Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes for Dips and Spreads, Soups and Stews, Salads and Salsas, and Much More from Rancho Gordo (page 69) by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington

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Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    See recipe for variations.

  • Kmatazz on May 06, 2026

    Excellent! I added fresh thyme and a bit more garlic. The method he used to cook the beans and adding in the other ingredients was perfect! I used some of Rancho Gordo white beans.

  • ksg518 on February 25, 2026

    My mistake but I used the bone from a holiday ham instead of a ham hock and the resulting soup was incredibly salty. Otherwise the flavors were good and I might try it again without improvising.

  • PinchOfSalt on November 21, 2025

    So easy, so little work, so few ingredients, so very very good! A 4 quart pot should be adequate; I made this in my 6 quart Staub enameled cast iron Dutch oven and cooked with the cover on the entire time, primarily to make sure that the portions of the ham hocks that were not submerged would get properly cooked without my having to turn them every so often. Worked like a charm and the bean to broth ratio was nicely on the beany side. Taking care to cook this until the pieces of ham hock were very much falling apart imparted much gelatin to the broth, resulting in wonderful mouthfeel.

  • Lepa on October 17, 2023

    I was skeptical about adding onions and celery to the water without first sauteing them but it worked! This is a good soup. Mine had large chunks of ham hock, not the nice little bits in the picture.

  • redbird on February 18, 2023

    I agree that RG yellow eye beans are the key. It's amazing that something so simple can be so delicious.

  • foodgloriousfood on April 05, 2022

    My husband requests this soup regularly. It really is very good! I recommend using the yellow eye beans from Rancho Gordo as per the recipe. It really does make a difference!

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