White-Bean Soup with Peppers and Bacon

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  dried navy beans
• 5  bacon slices
• 2  cups  chopped red bell pepper
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped carrot
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  onion powder
• 1  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.

Cook the bacon in pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add bell pepper and the next 8 ingredients (bell pepper through minced garlic) to drippings in pan; sauté 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add beans. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Place 3 cups of the bean mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureéd mixture to pan. Stir in the bacon and parsley.

Note: This soup will freeze well for up to two months. Pour into an airtight container, leaving enough room for expansion (usually an inch or two at the top). To reheat, thaw completely in the refrigerator; then place contents in a saucepan over low heat, adding some liquid if necessary.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

267 (30% from fat)

Fat:

9g (sat 3.2g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.3g)

Protein:

13.6g

Carbohydrate:

33.8g

Fiber:

5.9g

Cholesterol:

9mg

Iron:

3.6mg

Sodium:

479mg

Calcium:

87mg