Bean and Bacon Soup
This bean soup is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.
See more from Stephanie Kay at www.kaynutrition.com
Ingredients
- 1 cup navy beans, dry
- 8 slices bacon, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 handful parsley, minced
Instructions
- Add beans to a colander, rinse with cold water, and remove and discard split, broken, or discoloured beans. Transfer beans to a bowl; cover with cold water and let soak overnight, or for at least 1 hour. Once soaked, strain the beans to remove any excess water.
- In a large pot on medium-high heat, add diced bacon and cook until golden and crisp. Once cooked, remove bacon from the pan, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, leaving roughly 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent.
- Add garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and strained beans, stir to combine with the onion mixture, then add broth and bay leaf and stir again to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, roughly 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Once the beans are cooked, add the parsley, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.