How to make bacon and white bean soup

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Winter soups seem to be on our minds a little bit too much these days, but they have not made nearly enough appearances on our kitchen tables! The trouble with winter soups is that they can often be a bit ingredient-heavy and time-consuming to put together, and their long cooking processes can exacerbate our already overstretched heating bills during the wintertime. Now, we can alleviate the strain on both our wallets and our time by preparing this incredible recipe for bacon and white bean soup right here in our slow cookers.
We love the addition of fresh kale to this stunning soup, as it adds a fantastic texture to the dish and really complements the smokiness of the bacon. You can also opt to use baby spinach as your leafy green, or you can choose to leave them out altogether. This soup pairs beautifully with crusty, cheesy garlic bread (spoil yourself and try it with melted Gruyere cheese, you won't ever look back!)
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Bacon and White Bean Soup
6
20 minutes
7 hours
7 hours + 20 minutes
10 oz (283g) smoked bacon, thick cut
6 cups (1.4L) chicken stock
2 16oz (453g) cans white beans, (Cannellini, Haricot, Navy, or Great Northern beans)
2 small white onions, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
20 whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
flake salt, to taste (this will depend on the salt levels in your chicken broth)
(optional) 10 oz (280g) chopped kale
Heat a large, dry frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is searing hot (use a splash of water to test this), place the strips of bacon on it and fry until crispy. Set aside to cool down.
Place the chopped onion, carrots, garlic, celery and drained beans into the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker and sprinkle the whole peppercorns and paprika over the top.
Cut the bacon into chunks and place on top of the vegetables along with the bay leaf. Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables and scatter the fresh thyme sprigs over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
If using kale, uncover the slow cooker before serving and add the chopped kale. Stir well until the kale has softened and serve immediately.
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Pro tip: Always do your best to chop your vegetables uniformly, this will help to ensure that they all cook evenly. If you are not the biggest fan of beans, you can substitute the beans for 3 Yukon gold potatoes, finely chopped (into roughly bean-sized pieces).
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