A Modern Hippie: Senate Bean Soup

This is long overdue, as I promised you this recipe last week. Life happens and I did not get much time to get it written. Instead, I was working on taxes, 401k rollovers, and other boring paperwork that needed to get done! I'm excited that this week I can focus on things that are a little more exciting.

Ham & Beans is a meal that we have at least once a month. B loves it and I love it because it is simple. But I never really liked my recipe. Since living in AL we are spoiled because Florida is a quick day or weekend trip. On our first trip to Florida when we moved here we ate at McGuire's Irish Pub. They offer Senate Bean Soup for $0.18 and it is SOOOO good!

After eating it I wanted to figure out their recipe, because it was MUCH better then the bean soup I had been making. After perusing the internet and looking at several copy-cat recipes I came up with my own by combining a few of the recipes. So here is my recipe for Senate Bean Soup.....

Senate Bean Soup

{Andrea’s Version}

2 cups dry navy beans
1 ham bone with meat
4 cups water
2 garlic cloves
2 Bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder or Onion Salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Mashed Potatoes (1-2 cups, but use as little or as much as you want)
Diced ham

1. Soak 2 cups dried beans overnight in water. Make sure to use a large bowl so you can put a lot of water in the bowl. The beans will soak up the water, so you want plenty of water.

2. The next morning, drain and rinse beans. Place beans in crockpot. Add 4 cups fresh water (do not use the water you soaked the beans in overnight). Add ham bone, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and onion powder/salt.

3. Cook on low for 6 hours. Check and see if beans are semi-tender. If they are, remove ham hock. Then add celery, carrots, ham, mashed potatoes, and parsley. Let cook for another hour or until everything is tender.

4. During the last hour of cooking I make my cornbread so it comes out warm when we are ready to serve the bean soup.

Notes:

Cooking times will vary depending on your crock-pot Check the beans at 6 hours, if not very tender yet let cook for another hour before adding the remaining ingredients.

You may need to add more water throughout the cooking process; this also varies with your crock-pot and the desired consistency you are trying to achieve. Add additional water if desired.