Bacon and Bean Soup
This budget friendly hearty bacon and bean soup is easy, quick to throw together, so delicious, and incredibly affordable at ~$1.66/serving.
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 whole yellow onion chopped
- 4 stalks celery
- 2 large carrots
- 2 teaspoons salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups dried great northern beans soaked overnight
- 4 tablespoons homemade chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- ½ lb bacon
- 16 oz hearty winter greens (ie: kale, cabbage, shaved brussels sprouts)
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Sautee garlic and onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook until translucent and soft, about 6-8 minutes. While sauteeing, wash and chop celery and carrots.
- Once garlic and onion are softened, add celery and carrots. Cook for additional 5 minutes. While this is cooking, prepare rest of ingredients: beans, chicken stock/chicken broth.
- Add rest of ingredients and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for about 2-3 hours or until beans are softened. Add more water if needed.
- In the last 20 minutes of cooking, fry bacon up on a skillet. Remove bacon grease in between batches so it doesn't spatter as much.
- Stir in hearty winter greens after taking soup off of the stove. Top soup with crisp bacon and red pepper flakes or green onion if desired.
Notes
You can use as much chicken broth as you would the water if you don't have homemade chicken stock. Also, you don't need to use great norther beans-use whichever kind you have available. If using canned beans, just decrease cooking time to about 30 minutes, or until broth is hot.
If you'd like to make your own chicken stock, scroll to the next paragraph of text. It's really easy :)