I love gumbo, soups, chilli and stews during the cooler months. Now that we got our shot of cooler weather today, I thought I’d post a nice yummy soup recipe.

Bean and Bacon Soup

Ingredients

4 strips bacon
1 large carrot, chopped (about ¾ cup)
2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 15 ½-ounce cans great Northern beans, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool, chop, and set aside. Over medium heat, add the carrot to the pan drippings in the Dutch oven and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the celery, onion, and garlic, stirring well and cooking for 3 minutes more. Add the beans and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and, with a potato masher or large slotted spoon, partially mash the bean mixture until it thickens slightly. Stir in the parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon. Serve hot.

Tip: You can substitute lima, cannellini, or borlotti beans for the great Northern beans in this recipe.

This soups works well with most vegetables from the garden– experiment and use vegetables that are in season. Chef Meg was inspired to create this meal after a trip to the farmers market. Be creative and use whatever vegetables you have on hand!

INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 leek, white part only, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t thyme, fresh
3 red potatoes, quartered
1 c baby spinach
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 t red pepper flakes
9 c water
2 small zucchini, chopped
1 c green beans
1/2 c ditalini pasta (or another small pasta)
2 plum or Italian tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

Basil topping:
1 T olive oil
1 c basil leaves
3 T parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or stock pot. Once warm, add carrots, leek, and celery. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic and thyme and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, spinach, salt, and red and black pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add water, zucchini, beans, pasta, and tomatoes to the saucepan; cook an additional 8 minutes.

While soup is cooking, place the basil, remaining oil and cheese in a small food processor; blend until smooth. Swirl basil mixture into the soup just until combined and serve.

Recipe makes 8 (2 cup) servings.

Number of Servings: 8

Received in yahoogroup this morning.   Resource