Navy Bean Soup with Bacon

This is “THE” Navy Bean Soup recipe you’ve been looking for. Less than 10 ingredients, loads of flavor and easy to make!

Cook your bacon. Cook your onions in the bacon fat. Simmer it all then blend it until it’s creamy and smooth. Top with bacon, coarsely crushed peppercorns and a drizzle of a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Serve a good crusty bread on the side and you’ll be in Navy Bean Soup HEAVEN.

This Navy Bean Soup is one of the best you’ll ever enjoy. I’m telling you, it’s really good. Every time I serve it, I hear those “oohs” and “aahs” that makes every chef smile with satisfaction.

Here’s the thing: I leave ALL the bacon fat in the pan. No “reserving two tablespoons” for cooking. Nope, not for this Navy Bean Soup recipe. And once you taste it, you’ll be glad you left it in there, too.

There are a lot of good things for you in this navy bean soup, too. BEANS, for starters. Carrots, onions and celery for a few more. And with less than 10 ingredients you’ll be making it all the time!

You may wonder why my recipe doesn’t call for soaking the beans overnight. You can certainly do this, however I’ve found that it’s really not necessary. It may take some extra cooking time until the beans are at their perfect soft texture but I prefer to plan for that rather than a long overnight soak. Either way, I’m sure you’ll love this Navy Bean Soup recipe as much as my family and friends do!

More delicious soup recipes:

• Lentil Soup Recipe with Parmesan & Smoked Sausage
• Pasta Fazool | Pasta e Fagioli
• Mulligatawny Soup
• Mushroom Barley Soup with Shaved Parmesan
• Chicken Tortilla Soup with Hatch Chiles

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Navy Bean Soup with Bacon

Yield: 0

The cooking time states "4-6 hours" because it's impossible to know how old your particular beans are (the older the beans, the longer they take to cook). You may soak your beans overnight will reduce the cooking time.

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Ingredients

• 12 oz bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped (or 1 whole medium)
• 2 carrots, sliced (nope, don't even bother peeling 'em!)
• 2 celery stalks, sliced (chop the leaves and use 'em if they have 'em)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 16 oz bag dried navy beans
• 64 oz low-sodium chicken broth, 8 cups
• 1 bay leaf
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels; set aside (don't worry if you don't get every last piece of bacon, it's okay to leave some stragglers in the pot).
2. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook about five minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Add garlic, stir and cook another minute. Stir in tomatoes. Add beans, chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 4-6 hours, or until beans are soft. Remove bay leaf and serve.
3. Optional: Using a hand blender, puree soup until about half is smooth, leaving some intact for texture.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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