Bean & Bacon Soup
Servings: 6-8 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cooking Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 4 540ML cans of San Remo beans
- 5 ounces of Red Barn Double Smoked Bacon
- 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 (about 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 of Red Barn Double Smoked Bacon (1 to 2 slices), cooked and crumbled for garnish, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Directions
Put the bacon into a large (5 to 6 quart) thick-bottomed Dutch oven on medium high heat. Let the bacon cook for a minute or two to start rendering out some of its fat, then add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots.
Lower the heat to low, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are completely cooked through and softened. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
Add the drained beans to the pot. Add the stock, the bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Increase the heat to high to bring to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to maintain a simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes or until the beans are very soft.
Stir in the tomato paste and the paprika. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, purée most of the soup. You don’t want the soup to be perfectly smooth, but you want to purée enough of it so that the beans create a creamy base.
Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with crumbled cooked bacon and chopped parsley to serve.