Rustic White Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

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• 1 pound (2 cups) dry white beans - I used Great Northern shopping list
• 2 tsp thyme (dried), divided shopping list
• 2 tsp sage (dried), divided shopping list
• 2 tsp oregano (dried), divided shopping list
• 2 tsp basil (dried), divided shopping list
• 2 tsp rosemary (dried) broken up, divided shopping list
• 3 bay leaves shopping list
• 1-2 tbsp bacon grease/olive oil shopping list
• 3 medium carrots, sliced shopping list
• 6 stalks celery, sliced shopping list
• 1 large onion, chopped shopping list
• 1 leek, trimmed, halved, and sliced shopping list
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped shopping list
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed shopping list
• salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper sauteing veggies and added same amount to soup pot) shopping list
• 5 cups chicken stock/water + bouillon shopping list
• 1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon (optional) shopping list
• shaved parmesan cheese (optional) shopping list
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional) shopping list
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional) shopping list
• *Note: If you choose to use canned beans, you'll need 3 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed. In this case, your cook time will be lessened greatly and you'll skip the first series of directions. I suggest using dry b/c they absorb more flavor as they cook and are less expensive. shopping list
• *Note: This can easily be adapted into a vegetarian recipe by substituting the chicken stock with vegetable stock and opting for olive oil. If you still want to achieve smoky flavor, add a few drops of liquid smoke to mixture (start with a bit, you can always add more). shopping list