Bean and Bacon Soup is the homemade version of the old canned favorite: dried white beans simmered in chicken broth with crisp bacon, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and a little tomato paste until the beans are tender and the soup is thick. It makes 10 servings, and most of the time is hands-off simmering.
How to make it: Soak a pound of dried white beans overnight. Simmer them in chicken broth and water while you crisp a pound of bacon, pour off the grease, and soften the vegetables with garlic and tomato paste in the same skillet. Add the vegetables, most of the bacon and bay leaves to the beans, and cook gently for about 1 1/2 hours, until tender.
Why You’ll Love It
- Real bacon flavor: a full pound of thick-cut bacon, most of it simmered in the soup and the rest crisp on top.
- Pantry beans: a bag of dried white beans feeds 10.
- Thick and hearty: blend or mash part of the soup for the texture of the canned classic.
- Freezer friendly: leftovers keep for months in the freezer.
Ingredient Notes
Dried white beans: One pound, such as Great Northern. Navy beans work too.
Thick-cut bacon: One pound, cut into 1-inch pieces before cooking.
Broth and water: Four cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 4 cups of water, plus more broth if the soup gets too thick.
Vegetables: Two large carrots, 2 stalks of celery and an onion, all chopped, with 4 cloves of garlic.
Tomato paste and bay leaves: Two tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 bay leaves.
Salt and pepper: A teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper to start; taste at the end.
Optional finish: Three chopped Roma tomatoes and some chopped parsley.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 4 cups water
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
How to Make Homemade Bean with Bacon Soup
1. Soak the beans. Pick through the beans for stones and rinse them. Cover with water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak overnight.
2. Start the beans. Drain the beans and put them in a large pot or Dutch oven with the chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook the bacon. While the beans cook, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just barely crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Add two-thirds of the bacon to the beans and save the rest for garnish.
4. Cook the vegetables. Drain the bacon grease from the skillet and add the carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and deepening in color, 1 to 2 minutes more.
5. Simmer. Add the vegetables and bay leaves to the beans and stir. Cover and cook gently on low to medium-low until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then and adding 1 cup of broth or water if the liquid gets too low.
6. Finish. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the tomatoes, if using. Serve with the reserved bacon and parsley.
How to Make It Thick Like the Canned Classic
For the thick, creamy texture of the canned soup, use the beans themselves.
Blend half. Once the beans are tender, ladle about half the soup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, or use a stick blender right in the pot. Stir it back into the rest of the soup.
Or mash some. No blender? Press some of the beans against the side of the pot with a large spoon and stir.
Cook the tomato paste first. Stir it into the vegetables with the garlic and let it cook for a minute or two, until it smells fragrant and turns a shade darker, before it goes into the soup.
Watch the liquid. The beans should stay covered while they simmer. If the level drops, add a cup of broth or water.
Tips for Success
- Pick over the beans: look for small stones before soaking.
- Crisp, not hard: cook the bacon only until it is just barely crisp.
- Save some bacon: keep a third of it back for the top of each bowl.
- Salt at the end: taste after the beans are tender, then adjust.
Shortcuts and Variations
- Canned beans: use canned Great Northern beans to skip the overnight soak; with canned beans the cooking takes about 40 minutes.
- Slow cooker: brown the bacon, then put everything in the slow cooker with rinsed dried beans and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beans are tender.
- Other beans: navy, pinto, red or black beans all work.
- Ham instead of bacon: use diced ham; it does not need browning.
- Meatless: skip the bacon, cook the vegetables in olive oil, and add a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat soup to a rolling boil, which brings it well past 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it steaming hot with crackers or crusty bread. For more bean soups, try slow cooker 15 bean soup or crock pot ham and beans, and for another bacon soup, Irish bacon, cabbage and potato soup. Other cold-weather pots: beef and barley soup, 5-ingredient loaded potato soup and slow cooker Amish lima beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients for old fashioned bean and bacon soup?
Dried white beans, bacon, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaves and chicken broth, seasoned with salt and pepper.
What are some common mistakes in bean soup?
Skipping the soak for dried beans, letting the liquid cook down below the beans, and salting heavily before tasting. Soak overnight, add broth if it gets low, and season at the end.
Can I use canned beans?
Yes. Canned Great Northern beans skip the soak and turn it into a weeknight soup; the cooking takes about 40 minutes.
How do I make it thicker?
Blend about half the soup and stir it back in, or mash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
Final Notes
Soak the beans, keep them covered as they simmer, and blend half for body. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Bean and Bacon Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dried white beans such as Great Northern
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth plus more if needed
- 4 cups water
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Roma tomatoes chopped, optional
- fresh parsley chopped, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Pick through the beans for stones and rinse them. Cover with water by 2 inches in a bowl and soak overnight.
- Drain the beans and put them in a large pot or Dutch oven with the chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- While the beans cook, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just barely crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Add two-thirds of the bacon to the beans and save the rest for garnish.
- Drain the bacon grease from the skillet and add the carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and deepening in color, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the vegetables and bay leaves to the beans and stir. Cover and cook gently on low to medium-low until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then and adding 1 cup of broth or water if the liquid gets too low.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the tomatoes, if using. Serve with the reserved bacon and parsley.
