Sunday, January 27, 2013

White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Bacon






































I've always loved cannellini beans. They are light, smooth, and full of flavor and work perfectly in this soup! The combination of cannellini beans, bacon, rosemary and the olive oil just work so well together in this soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. When I originally made this recipe I used shredded parmesan cheese. I do not recommend this. It clumped together and stuck to the bottom of the pot and was just weird and a little awkward to eat. Learn from my mistake, grated parmesan is definitely the way to go! 

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 strips of thick cut bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, diced
2 quarts of chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese 
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bacon to the oil and cook until crispy, about 7-9 minutes. 






















Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 


After removing the bacon from the pot, add the diced onion to the reserved bacon drippings and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onion for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and become transparent.














After cooking the onion for 5-7 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 














Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. 


Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. 


Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the rosemary stems and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl with a ladle of soup and garnish with crispy bacon pieces. 


Hope you enjoy this delicious rustic soup!

'Till next time,
Caroline

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