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White bean and bacon soup is full of comfort when you need it most! Creamy, smokey and hearty, this soup is one of our favorites to make and it is ready in no time.
A Cozy Bowl of White Bean and Bacon Soup
A large bowl of this cozy white bean and bacon soup is one of my absolute favorites to make when I’m needing a bowl of comfort or just wanting a hearty, flavorful soup to warm me up! Sometimes, I enjoy making a big pot of this white bean soup with bacon and having it as leftovers for several days because this is one example where the soup gets better the longer it sits.
I really enjoy the texture of white bean soup with bacon and there’s something for everyone in here. You’ve got the creaminess of the soup base along with whole beans and carrots throughout every bite. The smokey bacon pieces on top give a textural crunch and also contribute to the salty, smokiness of the entire soup.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Take care to read the recipe fully. The dried cannellini beans need to be soaked overnight so you’ll need to prep ahead. In the event that you didn’t soak the beans ahead of time, you can use canned cannellini beans instead.
- If you don’t eat pork, you can substitute the pork bacon for turkey bacon.
- Highly recommend cooking the vegetables with the bacon grease. It gives it so much flavor and you won’t need extra cooking oil.
- A high speed blender works in place of an immersion blender. Carefully ladle out a cup or so of the soup into the blender and blend until creamy then pour it back into the pot.
Types of Beans
Cannellini beans and great northern beans are interchangeably used in recipes as they are both very similar beans. You can use either in this recipe. Cannellini beans are slightly better in soups and stews, but great northern works as well. Use what you can find! Do not use red kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, etc.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Allow leftovers to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm through in a pot on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl or container in the microwave until warmed through.
To freeze: allow leftovers to cool then store in Souper Cube freezer trays for up to 3 months. To reheat, pop out a cube and warm through in a pot on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this soup with my garlic herb parker house rolls as the flavor pairs perfectly with the soup and also helps sop up all the creamy goodness!
White Bean and Bacon Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (404 g) dried cannellini beans
- 5 strips of bacon, cut into tiny pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 4 cups (946 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soak your beans overnight covered in water. Drain the next day and set aside.2 cups (404 g) dried cannellini beans
- In a large stockpot, add the bacon to the pan and cook until bacon pieces are brown and crispy. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.5 strips of bacon
- If there's a lot of bacon grease in the pan, remove all but 3 tablespoons of it.
- Saute onion, garlic, and carrots in the bacon grease until vegetables start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and cook for an additional 1 minute.1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 4 carrots, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- Pour in the chicken stock and add the drained beans. Stir the tomato paste in until all has dispersed and incorporated into the soup.4 cups (946 ml) chicken stock, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Bring mixture up to a boil then cover and let simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the soup is ready, carefully use your immersion blender and gently pulse the bean mixture until a desired creamy texture is achieved. You see whole beans in my picture – that's because I gently pulsed and left some beans whole because I wanted texture in my soup. You're more than welcome to blend the entire mixture to be more of a puree consistency. If you're worried about blending too much, you can always ladle out a few scoopfuls of beans, blend the soup, then add the beans back in. Really, it's all up to preference!Salt and pepper
- Serve warm with extra bacon pieces on top.
Video
Nutrition
Photographs by Eat Love Eat
Do you think this recipe will feed 4 adults? Two males and 1 pregnant woman and 1 normal woman! Lol. I’m in the middle of cooking it for my friends and I and it just doesnt look like a lot but thats happen to me before and it ended up feeding enough!
Btw it smells amazing!
Hi Savanna! Sorry I couldn’t get to respond yesterday. I hope it still worked out for you. When I made the soup, it easily fed 4 adults :)
Great, thank you! This was my first time cooking with rosemary, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Again, thanks so much!
Made this for dinner tonight. It’s good, but I am not a fan of rosemary. It almost overpowered the other flavors. Is there another herb you can suggest that would go well with this soup?
Hmm, sage? And possibly thyme. I’d try sage first.
This looks WONDERFUL!!!! I live in Dallas and yes it does get cold down here. This soup looks so yummo!!! Question, I am trying to follow Weight Watchers Points Plus. Have you ever tried this with Turkey Bacon or do you really need the “real” bacon greese for the pot?? Also, do you use canned tomato paste or out of the “toothpaste” tube?? As you can tell I am also learning how to experiment outside my Frozen Dinner in a pretty little box. Thanks!!
Hi Addie, I haven’t tried this with turkey bacon but you can certainly use it! You don’t really need the “real” bacon grease for it :) I used the toothpaste tube tomato paste but the regular canned tomato paste works just as well.
I came looking for the recipe for the pasta you just posted on Instagram, I couldn’t find it but I’m happy as I found this one! It looks delicious, perfect right now in the cold English winter
This looks SO good! It’s cold in Seattle here too, but not THAT cold! Stay warm!
Your pictures are really good … No recipe in the world is enough without super shots !
First time I see / read your blog!
Keep up the good work!
Best regards from the cold north ( Norway !! )
Ella
Julie, what a vibrant and stunning soup!!
Need this soup aprés ski today!
This looks so amazing and perfect for this snowy DC day! Is there a way to make it creamy if you don’t have an immersion blender though?
A food processor or blender.