Bean and Bacon Soup
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We often buy things in bulk when they’re on sale. This time we stocked up on bacon. Todd and I both have a weakness of bacon. If we allowed ourselves, we’d be perfectly content eating bacon every morning for breakfast. But we don’t. In fact, we probably average once or twice per month. But I do cook a little more frequently than that with bacon. Even a little bacon goes a long way in adding depth to a dish. You don’t get a whole lot of fat and nitrates that way but you do get a lot of flavor. And oh what a flavor it is!
This is a simple, easy soup to make and it’s a great way to use up any beans you’ve had sitting in your cupboard. We try to rotate our food storage fairly regularly and had a ton of beans that needed to be used. So I’ve been making chili and various bean dishes to use them up. Beans are a great source of protein, they’re filling, inexpensive, and are pretty versatile. You can make bean flour, bean burgers, and my mom makes a killer bean lasagna, just for example.
Here’s a yummy a soup I threw together after reorganizing our food storage. Nothing fancy, just a good, hearty, flavorful, satisfying soup. I made a huge pot of it and it kept Todd stocked for work lunches for a couple of days and I froze the rest. Our 18 month old daughter sure loved it! She picked out the beans, tomatoes, carrots and celery and enjoyed every last morsel – several helpings of it.
This is a fabulous comfort dish and one that the whole family is sure to enjoy!
Bean and Bacon Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Soak the beans overnight in a large pot of water. When ready to use, drain, rinse and drain them again.
Fry the bacon until crispy. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and all seasonings.
Add the beef broth. Stir to combine. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Bean and Bacon Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed dried beans , soaked overnight in a pot of water, drained, and rinsed
- 5 slices thick cut bacon , diced
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 large carrot , diced
- 1 large stalk celery , diced
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crispy. Add the onion and cook for another 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and seasonings. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I made this last night and it was delicious. The only change I made was add one more carrot and celery. This will be a keeper in the regular rotations, thank you : – )
That’s awesome, Shannon, thank so much for the feedback!
This turned out yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Fantastic! I love it when something so simple, like this recipe, turns out so satisfying.