Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup

This homemade bean and bacon soup is made entirely from scratch and yet just as easy! I soaked navy beans overnight and then simmered them with sautéed onions, carrots and celery in a light tomato and chicken broth. A one pot soup I know you’ll love! Oh and my favorite part is the many pieces of Applewood bacon throughout! So good!

Most of my life, my mom cooked from scratch. On occasion, she would open a can of soup for us girls to have with our grilled cheese. My all time favorite was (is still?) bean and bacon soup. I always had my fingers crossed for more than one piece of bacon in my bowl.

I decided to make a homemade bean and bacon soup because I was craving it. It had been so long since I had it that all I could think about was grilled cheese and that soup. In fact this homemade bean and bacon soup inspired me to make another throwback recipe. If you saw, the other day I went all nostalgic and posted a childhood throwback to my favorite double decker grilled cheese sandwich — which went perfectly with this soup might I add.

This soup has the perfect bean to bacon ratio. The Applewood smoky flavor is there and not over powering, just as I remember it to be. This lunch or (dinner!) soup and sandwich combo took me back to that time as a kid… sitting at my parents table, looking out at the back yard and inhaling my soup.

Only this time, I had way more than a couple pieces of bacon in my bowl.

First things first– the bacon. I made a special trip to my butcher to buy there Applewood smoked bacon. As I’ve said a thousand times, it’s the best bacon and when it cooks it smells like an up north Michigan campfire. To. Die. For.

Add 4 slices of bacon into a 6 quart Dutch oven, heated it to medium so the fat would slowly release and cooked it until crispy (turning every so often). Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the last four slices. Then drain off all of the fat and measure 2 tablespoons and add back into the pot.

Once the bacon has cooled, give it a rough chop.

Then add in the 3/4 cup diced yellow onion and 1/2 cup of both diced celery and carrot and a pinch of kosher salt.

Stir the vegetables, coating them in the bacon fat and add in a small pinch of kosher salt. Cover and cook over medium-low for 8 minutes or until softened. Next, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Next add in the soaked (drained) beans, 6 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup tomato sauce and pinch of sugar.

**Now, I soaked my navy beans in cold water overnight but I have included instructions using canned beans in the recipe printable. 😉

Then give it all a stir, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and crack the lid askew, only a sliver. Simmer the soup, stirring only occasionally for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beans are tender.

You’ll know the soup is done when the liquids have reduced and beans are tender and soft.

Depending on how thick or thin you want your soup to be, transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender [affiliate]. Remove the plug from the lid and carefully hold a kitchen towel over the hole and puree until smooth.

Then add the pureed soup back to the pot…

…and stir. If your soup is too thick, add a few splashes or more of the broth until it reaches a desired consistency. I did not because we were heading out the door for my daughter’s indoor softball game and I had impatient eyes on me while I took these last few shots, so that’s why mines looks a little too thick. It was still good though!

Finally add 1/2 of the chopped bacon…

…and ladle the hot soup into bowls. Topping with as much of the remaining bacon as your heart desires.

Enjoy! And if you give this Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance! 

Yield: about 8-10 servings (depending)

Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup

Print

This homemade bean and bacon soup is made entirely from scratch and yet just as easy! I soaked navy beans overnight and then simmered them with sautéed onions, carrots and celery in a light tomato and chicken broth. A one pot soup I know you'll love! Oh and my favorite part is the many pieces of Applewood bacon throughout! So good!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 2 quarts (8 cups) cold water
• 1/2 pound (about 8 slices) thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 (large) clove fresh garlic, minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• a pinch of sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more or less to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste

Instructions

The night before: sort through 1 pound of navy beans, discarding any broken peas and debris. Place into a large bowl and cover with 2 quarts of water. Cover and let the beans soak over night then drain. They will still be quite firm.

Place 4 strips of bacon into your (cold) 6 quart Dutch oven. Heat over medium and cook until crispy, turning every so often. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the last of the bacon. Once cooled, coarsely chop the bacon and set a side.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot. Add in the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt and stir to coat in the bacon fat. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Next, add in the beans, broth, tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Once the soup is at a boil, reduce to medium-low heat, crack the lid a sliver so only small amounts of steam can escape and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beans are cooked through and are tender.

Transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup to a blender. Remove the plug from the lid and carefully hold a kitchen towel over the hole while your puree the soup until smooth. Add the puree back to the pot with the remaining soup and stir until combined.

Add in half of the chopped bacon, taste and season with 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste.

NOTE: It may be necessary to thin the soup out with more chicken broth if it's too thick.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with reserved bacon pieces.

SIMPLY SCRATCH TIP: If using canned beans you will need about 3 (15 ounce) cans of navy beans. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the sautéed vegetables. Use 4 cups of low-sodium broth (instead of 6 cups) and follow with the remaining ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes with the lid askew, taste and season to taste and adding more broth in the end if needed.

Recommended Products

• 
  Lodge EC7OD13 Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven, 7-Quart, Oyster White

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