Recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, All You, Real Simple, and Health
Bean and Bacon Soup
Photo: Antonis Achilleos
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Worthy of a Special Occasion

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4  strips bacon
  • 1  large carrot, chopped (about ¾ cup)
  • 2  stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1  medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 4  cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2  15 ½-ounce cans great Northern beans, drained
  • 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/4  teaspoons  kosher salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool, chop, and set aside. Over medium heat, add the carrot to the pan drippings in the Dutch oven and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the celery, onion, and garlic, stirring well and cooking for 3 minutes more. Add the beans and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and, with a potato masher or large slotted spoon, partially mash the bean mixture until it thickens slightly. Stir in the parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon. Serve hot.

Tip: You can substitute lima, cannellini, or borlotti beans for the great Northern beans in this recipe.

Cynthia Nicholson, Real Simple, FEBRUARY 2005

Member Ratings and Reviews

5 stars
Derick
Very bland, will not make again. relies completely on the bacon for flavor, so bites without the bacon don't have any flavor. needs some spices to improve10/14/09

5 stars
tulips4me
The was a quick recipe for a great soup. I think this could be better if left in the slow cooker so the beans cook down into to thicken the soup. I might try doing so next time.08/09/09