St. Elmo's White Bean Soup with Bacon

• Gluten free

• Meat

  • 1 1/4 lbs Bacon, thick-sliced

• Produce

  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 2 Carrot, large rough
  • 3 Celery, rough ribs
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp Rosemary
  • 1 Sweet onion
  • 2 tsp Thyme
  • 1 cup White beans, dried

• Canned Goods

  • 3 cups Chicken stock

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil, Extra Virgin

Found on highlandsranchfoodie.com

Description

Directions

• Wash beans and pick out any misfits. Place beans in a crock pot and cover with 2 - 3 cups of water. Cook on low for 8 hours or until tender.
• In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain, reserving the fat and bacon separately.
• Heat the olive oil in the soup pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the beans and any liquid left in the crockpot, stock and 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and bring to a boil.
• Simmer the soup over low heat until the flavors have married. About 20 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf and season the soup with salt and pepper and transfer to shallow bowls.
• Garnish the soup with the bacon and serve.