Vegan Bean & Mushroom Bacon Senate Soup
Senate Soup has been served on Capital Hill for over 100 years so I created this Plant Based Vegan version so we can all enjoy a healthy version. It reminds me of the Campbell's Bean & Bacon soup I grew up with. The mushroom bits bring a smoky flavor to the soups chowder like texture.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoon tamari divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika divided
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 russet potato peeled and cut in half
- 2 liters vegetable broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Broth thickener
- 1 russet potato peeled and cut in half
- 1 cup vegetable broth low sodium
Instructions
- Soak the beans in water overnight or even better 24 hours.
- Add the mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of the tamari and 1 teaspoon of the smoked paprika to a bowl and mix until mushrooms are well coated.
- Place the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Sauté the onions, celery and garlic in a soup pan until just soft using a little water to keep them from sticking.
- Add remaining ingredients along with the potato from the broth thickener to the soup pot and cook on medium high for at least an hour or until the beans are soft. Mine took 1 1/2 hours to soften.
- After 30 minutes take the potato out of the pot and set aside.
- Once soup is finished, add the potato and 1 cup of vegetable broth to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Stir potato mixture into the soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 17gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 267mgPotassium: 1053mgFiber: 17gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 231IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 102mgIron: 4mg
Can you use 2 tins of Navy beans?
I haven’t adjusted the recipe for canned beans but It would be substantially more than 2 cans and less vegetable broth. I think 1 pound of dry navy beans will make 4 – 14 oz tins. Cooking the dry beans in the broth absorbs most of the broth so maybe 1 liter or less would be sufficient.
You show using 2 Russet potatoes in this recipe Do you take both Russet potatoes and blend them in the broth or just one, and if so what do you do with the other one?
It is just 1 potato cut in half
If someone is trying to avoid nightshades, the potato is not necessary. Rather, after the beans are cooked, use a “potato” masher to partially mash some of the beans. That has the same effect of thickening up bean soup.
What happens to the 2nd tablespoon of tamari?
One is for baking the mushrooms and the other is in the soup.
This soup is delicious! I love how it is thickened with the potato. The mushrooms are so tasty. I think they would be great in salads and sandwiches as well. It is always great to find a way to get mushrooms in a recipe! Thank you!
Would this freeze well?
Yes
Hi Jill!
I’m wondering about the broth you use. Do you make your own or use a purchased vegetable broth? Either way, can you share which one you use or your veggie broth recipe? The flavor of vegetable broth varies greatly and I’m thinking your soups flavor is really dependent on that broth. Thanks!
I use 365 low sodium brand from Whole Foods.
My husband said this was the best bean soup I’ve ever made.
I used a 13 bean mix of dried beans, soaked overnight. I used my Instant Pot. I added 3 Yukon gold potatoes, one for the sauce and 2 cubed. To richen the flavor I put in 1 T of molasses, 1 t sugar, and 1 T balsamic vinegar. To make it even healthier I added 1 c frozen chard.
Thank you so much, Jill. You have taught me so much!
Did you use regular or blackstrap molasses? Thank you.
Blackstrap
Iadded collard greens and baked tofu cubes with the mushrooms
This soup is genius as for capturing that Campbell’s bean with bacon soup flavor. The mushrooms are fabulous and the blended potato to thicken works great. I added canned tomatoes and carrots to the soup which made it closer to the b & b soup. Thanks so much Jill!
5 stars! Wonderful idea, using the potato to thicken. I “cheated” by using bought mushroom jerky (Garlic & Black Pepper flavor), but still turned out great. Added liquid smoke & Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning & Mushroom Umami, to kick up the bacon-y taste in a lazier way. Looking forward to making this again, as written, when I get mushrooms!
Thanks for a fantastic recipe.