Slow Cooker Senate Bean Soup
Published Aug. 7, 2025
- Total Time
- 6¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 6 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound dried navy beans or small white beans, rinsed
- 5garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- 3medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2medium ham hocks (about 1½ pounds total)
- 1small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1medium russet potato, peeled and quartered
- 1tablespoon butter
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1½teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon dried thyme
- Black pepper
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
895 calories; 27 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 90 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 77 grams protein; 1892 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine beans, garlic, carrots, ham hocks, onion, potato, butter, salt, smoked paprika and thyme. Top with 8 cups of water and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 6 hours on high. (Beans need to reach a simmer to be fully cooked and safe to eat, so be sure your soup reaches a vigorous bubble. This shouldn’t be a problem on the slow cooker’s high setting. Additionally, beans vary in cook time by age, so if your beans are older, you may need to cook a bit longer than 6 hours.)
- Step 2
Pull out the ham hocks and put them on a cutting board to cool a bit. Using a fork, mash the potato pieces against the side of the slow cooker. Stir well to break down some of the beans, too. Stir in the vinegar. Pull the meat off the bones, add it back into the soup and discard the bones. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
Private Notes
Comments
@Jeanmarie Look for smoked turkey necks. They have the salty smoky essence and are used in French stews.
@David Looks like most of the sodium is coming from the 1 Tbsp of salt divided by 4 servings, which 4 servings may be a very generous bowl of soup. With the ham hocks alone, you should get enough salt to be flavorful. I’d make it without the added salt, and let people add salt to their servings.
Smoked turkey wings or a thigh would be good and give the smokiness of the ham hock.
McGuires in Pensacola has featured this for deacades. Still 19 cents for a bowl with your meal. Not like you need even moore food than what a McGuires meal already offers, but it really is good and hard to pass up.
How long does this take in pot on the stove? I don’t have a slow cooker.
@Anne Good question. I also don’t have a slow cooker where I am at. I’m guessing just simmer away for a couple of hours, watching the amount of liquid and the bean texture. Perhaps a Le Cruiset in the oven on a relatively low temperature setting (250 or 300?) for a couple hours. Maybe Google the temperature equivalent of a slow cooker to try to replicate the environment?
For vegans, add 1/4-1/2 tsp good liquid smoke and 2” piece of kombu for the ham hocks. Olive oil for the butter. Works well.