White Bean Soup With Bacon
This isn’t just any bean soup – it’s a velvety, bacon-infused bowl of happiness that’ll make you forget all about basic canned soup forever.
The magic happens when tender white beans meet crispy bacon in a rich, creamy broth that’s been slowly simmered to perfection. Each spoonful delivers a perfect balance of smoky bacon, herbs, and that incredible creamy texture that only comes from properly cooked beans.
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 pound dry Great Northern white beans
- 5 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped (3/4 cup)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (3/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
For Serving:
- 1 ounce bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Soak beans in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. The beans should be covered by at least 2 inches of water. If short on time, use the quick-soak method: cover beans with water, bring to boil, remove from heat, let stand 1 hour.
- Drain soaked beans thoroughly. Check for any stones or damaged beans and discard them.
- In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon pieces until they begin to render fat (2-3 minutes). Look for the bacon to start becoming translucent.
- Add onion, celery, and carrot to the rendered bacon fat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes until vegetables are completely soft. They should easily yield when pressed with a spoon.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until fragrant but not browned. Browning will make the garlic bitter.
- Add drained beans, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to high to reach a simmer, then reduce to low. Cook partially covered for 1 hour, or until beans are very tender when pressed.
- Stir in tomato paste and paprika. Simmer for 5 minutes more to integrate flavors.
- Remove bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, partially puree the soup until about half is smooth. The soup should be creamy but still have whole beans visible for texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve hot, garnished with crumbled bacon and parsley if desired.
Storage:
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container
- Freeze for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers
