Soup's On….Super Comfort Bean Soup
This week, San Diego actually has enjoyed what other people would describe as winter! The temperatures have nipped into the high 50’s / low 40’s. I realize that this is hardly worth mentioning to our readers in other parts of the country, but for us San Diego kids, who are always use to 78 degree days, this is a big deal!
I love soup, so when the temperatures drop, it’s time to get my bean soup boiling in the pot!
Bean & Bacon Soup
1 Onion
8 strips of bacon
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup of cauliflower
1/2 cup of mushrooms
2 cans of Cannellini Beans (also known as white kidney beans)
1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
1 can of green Chile’s (to add a little heat) – optional
Simmer onion and bacon in olive oil till soft. Add cauliflower and carrots to soften (usually cooks for about 5 minutes). Add beans and stir all ingredients together. Add green chile and mushrooms. Stir all ingredients together. Watch your heat so that ingredients don’t burn! Add 1 can of broth, and then fill can with water. Add water. This is essentially 2 cans of liquid. If you like your soups to be a little thinner, you can add more water. Boil all ingredients together for about 20 minutes – stirring often. After about 15 minutes, you can start to mash the beans; this will thicken the soup.
Top with french fried onions and a little feta cheese to taste.
If you have any leftovers, be sure to add water to the soup before reheating. The beans will really make the soup dense so you’ll want to add water to make it more soup like.
Enjoy!
Give it a try, and let me know what you think!