Description
Hearty bacon and bean soup delivers comfort on chilly days. Rich layers of smoky flavor blend perfectly with creamy beans, creating a satisfying meal you’ll savor to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- chopped fresh parsley
- extra crispy bacon pieces
- shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bacon Preparation: Crisp bacon in a spacious pot over medium heat until golden, then extract pieces with a perforated utensil while reserving the rendered fat.
- Vegetable Sauté: Introduce diced onions, carrots, and celery into bacon drippings, cooking until softened and translucent, allowing flavors to meld and develop.
- Aromatic Infusion: Integrate minced garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, black pepper, and salt, stirring vigorously to awaken the spices’ intense fragrance and create a robust flavor foundation.
- Liquid Integration: Combine beans, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf, ensuring thorough incorporation of all ingredients for a harmonious mixture.
- Flavor Development: Bring liquid to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, allowing soup to mature and intensify for 22-27 minutes while occasionally stirring to prevent bottom scorching.
- Texture Enhancement: Use an immersion blender to partially puree the soup, creating a luxurious, creamy consistency while maintaining some textural integrity.
- Final Touches: Remove bay leaf, reintroduce crispy bacon pieces, and garnish with fresh parsley, additional bacon crumbles, and delicate Parmesan cheese shavings to elevate the dish.
- Serving Suggestion: Present piping hot, paired with rustic crusty bread to complement the soup’s rich, complex flavors.
Notes
- Bacon Fat Magic: Save every drop of rendered bacon fat for deeper, richer flavor complexity in the soup base.
- Blending Technique: When partially pureeing, leave some beans whole to maintain textural contrast and rustic character.
- Sodium Sensitivity: Reduce salt content if using pre-salted bacon, as bacon already contributes significant saltiness to the dish.
- Diet Flexibility: Swap chicken broth with vegetable broth for vegetarian version and use turkey bacon for lower-fat alternative.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg