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U.S. Senate Bean With Smoked Ham Soup

A hearty, traditional broth soup packed with tender small white navy beans, diced smoked ham, russet potatoes, and fresh garden vegetables simmered to rich perfection.

Prep
20 mins
Cook
1 hr 45 mins
Archive yield
1 Gallon
Evidence
Corporate disclosure
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From the archive card

Base ingredients

These are the disclosed base quantities. Use the scaling engine below for home and buffet-size batches.

  • Dry small white navy beans1.25 lbs
  • Water (for soaking)6 cups
  • Water (for cooking)13 cups
  • Ham base (Better Than Bouillon)4 tbsp
  • Chicken base (Better Than Bouillon)2 tsp
  • Ground white pepper0.5 tsp
  • Russet potatoes (1/2-inch dice)2 cups
  • Smoked ham (1/4-inch dice)2 cups
  • Celery (1/4-inch slices)1.25 cups
  • Yellow onion (1/4-inch dice)1 cup
  • Carrots (1/2-inch dice)1 cup
  • Garlic (finely minced)4 tsp
  • Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (chopped)2 tbsp

Ingredient nutrition reference

  • Water (for soaking)42 kcal, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, 10.8 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 2047057 (Branded)
  • Ground white pepper208 kcal, 20.8 g protein, 0 g fat, 83.3 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 1126940 (Branded)
  • Russet potatoes (1/2-inch dice)74 kcal, 2.03 g protein, 0 g fat, 17.6 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 2060240 (Branded)
  • Smoked ham (1/4-inch dice)125 kcal, 16.1 g protein, 2.68 g fat, 3.57 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 2060641 (Branded)
  • Celery (1/4-inch slices)14 kcal, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, 3.64 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 447185 (Branded)
  • Yellow onion (1/4-inch dice)30 kcal, 0.68 g protein, 0 g fat, 7.43 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 1605785 (Branded)
  • Carrots (1/2-inch dice)38 kcal, 1.28 g protein, 0 g fat, 8.97 g carbs (per 100 g) FDC 2413282 (Branded)

Per-100 g reference values for the raw ingredient, matched to Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central. These are not a per-serving analysis of this recipe; ingredients without values are not yet verified against FoodData Central, so no numbers are shown rather than estimates.

Method

Make it like the line remembers.

  1. Submerge 1.25 lbs dry small white navy beans in 6 cups cold water; cover, refrigerate, and soak for 8 hours. Drain completely.

  2. In a large soup pot, combine 13 cups fresh water, drained beans, ham base, chicken base, and white pepper.

  3. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours until beans are tender.

  4. Insert an immersion blender and pulse for 3-5 seconds. The broth should become cloudy while remaining chunky.

  5. Add russet potatoes, smoked ham, celery, yellow onion, carrots, and minced garlic.

  6. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.

  7. Stir in fresh parsley, remove from heat, and season to taste.

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U.S. Senate Bean With Smoked Ham Soup

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Scaled ingredients

6 Servings
  • Dry small white navy beans3 3/4 oz
  • Water (for soaking)1 1/8 cups
  • Water (for cooking)2.44 cups
  • Ham base (Better Than Bouillon)2 1/4 tsp
  • Chicken base (Better Than Bouillon)3/8 tsp
  • Ground white pepper0.09 tsp
  • Russet potatoes (1/2-inch dice)3/8 cups
  • Smoked ham (1/4-inch dice)3/8 cups
  • Celery (1/4-inch slices)3 3/4 tbsp
  • Yellow onion (1/4-inch dice)3 tbsp
  • Carrots (1/2-inch dice)3 tbsp
  • Garlic (finely minced)3/4 tsp
  • Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley (chopped)1 1/8 tsp

Quantities retain culinary precision while using kitchen-friendly units.

Why the method works

Food science, without the kitchen mythology.

Partial blending of soft-boiled navy beans releases native amylose starches to create a naturally velvety broth without requiring dairy thickeners.

Dairy-Free

Open-kitchen sourcing

Corporate recordU.S. Senate Bean With Smoked Ham Soup2 cited sources

Recipe provenance & source notes

  1. San Diego Union-Tribune (2009 Corporate Disclosures)
  2. Official Sweet Tomatoes Recipe Archive