These meals are intended to be a relatively simple and healthy weeknight meal for a family of four. We assume that these dinners are being made in a kitchen stocked with regular kitchen staples. We will not include prices of oil, sugar, flour, spices, etc. unless you need a 1/4 cup or more. Regional food prices may vary and can be reduced by smart shopping techniques.
This recipe is a version of a childhood favorite of mine, Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup. This recipe will leave you lots of leftovers and will be just as good the second day, maybe even better. The whole family really liked it.Even my picky nine year old said "It was actually not too bad".
| 1 lb. small navy beans (or two cans) | $2.00 |
| 1 yellow onion | $.99 |
| 3-4 cloves garlic | $.33 |
| 3 stalks celery | $.50 |
| 3 carrots | $.50 |
| chicken base (or bouillon)* | $.50 |
| 1 can tomato paste (6 oz.) | $.65 |
| 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (appx 6 slices) | $1.50 |
| Total Cost = $6.97 | |
*You can use chicken stock or broth in place of bouillon. A ham or pork flavored broth or base would work well, too. If you have a bone from a Christmas or Easter ham, use it to make stock for a soup like this.
Cook your bacon first and set aside. In this case, I already had leftover bacon from an earlier breakfast. Finely chop onion, celery and carrots into "bean" sized pieces. Mince or press 2-3 garlic cloves. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or use some reserved bacon fat) to a stock pot or Dutch oven. Heat oil to medium low then add vegetable mixture. Add garlic after onions start to "sweat".
When onions are translucent and carrots are softened, add water and chicken base (to make 4-6 cups of broth), beans, tomato paste, bacon, 1 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. thyme and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer on low, stirring occasionally until the beans are softened, usually 2 1/2 to 3 hours. When they are done, take an immersion blender and puree about half the soup pot. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could use a potato masher, blend the hot soup in your regular blender (take the center part of the lid off to let the steam escape), or just leave it chunky. The longer you cook it, the more it will break down and be like the canned Campbells soup.
Give the soup a final taste, adding more spices and salt and pepper to taste. If you like a creamier soup, add 1/4 cup of milk or cream to the pot before serving.
By Jess
Editor's Note: With uncooked beans, more water is usually desired. I have increased the water/broth range to 6 cups. If you are using canned beans, 4 will be plenty.This page contains the following solutions.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am wondering if 4 cups of water is correct for bean soup with bacon. When I make soup using 1 lb. of beans I use 3 qts of water. Please advise.
By doris gordon from Parma, OH
Doris, I think you are referring to my Bean with Bacon soup recipe that I posted in the Recipe Newsletter recently. As the beans have already been soaked before cooking, the 4 cups makes a nice brothy soup. Of course, you can always add more or less.
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Mix cooked beans, veggies and ham together. To each quart add 1 tsp. salt. Yield: about 16 qt. Pressure cook at 10 lb. pressure for 1 hour.
