This homemade bean and bacon soup is made entirely from scratch and yet just as easy! I soaked navy beans overnight and then simmered them with sautéed onions, carrots and celery in a light tomato and chicken broth. A one pot soup I know you’ll love! Oh and my favorite part is the many pieces of Applewood bacon throughout!

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

One of my all time favorite soup was (is still?) bean and bacon soup.

I always had my fingers crossed for more than one piece of bacon in my bowl.

I decided to make a homemade bean and bacon soup because I was craving it. It had been so long since I had it that all I could think about was grilled cheese and that soup. In fact this homemade bean and bacon soup inspired me to make another throwback recipe. If you saw, the other day I went all nostalgic and posted a childhood throwback to my favorite double decker grilled cheese sandwich. Which went perfectly with this soup might I add.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

This soup has the perfect bean to bacon ratio. The Applewood smoky flavor is there and not over powering, just as I remember it to be. This lunch or (dinner!) soup and sandwich combo took me back to that time as a kid, sitting at my parents table, looking out at the back yard and inhaling my soup.

Only this time, I had way more than a couple pieces of bacon in my bowl.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

TO Make This Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup You will Need:

  • navy beans
  • cold water
  • thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
  • yellow onion
  • carrot
  • celery
  • garlic
  • low-sodium chicken broth
  • tomato sauce
  • a pinch of sugar
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

The Night Before:

Sort through the beans and discard any debris. Add the sorted beans into a large bowl, cover with cold water and soak over night.

Day of:

Add 4 slices of bacon into a 6 quart Dutch oven, heated it to medium so the fat would slowly release and cooked it until crispy (turning every so often). Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the last four slices. Then drain off all of the fat and measure 2 tablespoons and add back into the pot. Once the bacon has cooled, give it a rough chop.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Then add in the 3/4 cup diced yellow onion and 1/2 cup of both diced celery and carrot and a pinch of kosher salt.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Stir the vegetables, coating them in the bacon fat. Cover and cook over medium-low for 8 minutes or until softened. Next, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Add in the soaked (drained) beans, 6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 cup tomato sauce with pinch of sugar.

I have also included instructions using canned beans in the recipe printable. 😉

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Then give it all a stir, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, leave the the lid askew, only a sliver and simmer the soup, stirring only occasionally for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beans are tender.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

You’ll know the soup is done when the liquids have reduced and beans are tender and soft.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Depending on how thick or thin you want your soup to be, transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender.

Remove the plug from the lid and carefully hold a kitchen towel over the hole and puree until smooth.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Then add the pureed soup back to the pot and stir to combine.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

If your soup is too thick, add a few splashes or more of the broth until it reaches a desired consistency.

I did not because we were heading out the door for my daughter’s indoor softball game and I had impatient eyes on me while I took these last few shots, so that’s why mines looks a little too thick. It was still good though!

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Finally add 1/2 of the chopped bacon into the pot.

Lastly, ladle the hot soup into bowls, topping with as much of the remaining bacon as your heart desires.

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

Enjoy! And if you give this Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com

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Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Bean and Bacon Soup

This homemade bean and bacon soup is made entirely from scratch and yet just as easy! I soaked navy beans overnight and then simmered them with sautéed onions, carrots and celery in a light tomato and chicken broth. A one pot soup I know you'll love! Oh and my favorite part is the many pieces of Applewood bacon throughout! So good!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried navy beans
  • 2 quarts cold water
  • 8 slices applewood smoked bacon
  • 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • teaspoons kosher salt, more or less to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste

Instructions 

  • The night before: sort through 1 pound of navy beans, discarding any broken peas and debris. Place into a large bowl and cover with 2 quarts of water. Cover and let the beans soak over night then drain. They will still be quite firm.
  • Place 4 strips of bacon into your (cold) 6 quart Dutch oven. Heat over medium and cook until crispy, turning every so often. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the last of the bacon. Once cooled, coarsely chop the bacon and set a side.
  • Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot. Add in the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt and stir to coat in the bacon fat. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Next, add in the beans, broth, tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Once the soup is at a boil, reduce to medium-low heat, crack the lid a sliver so only small amounts of steam can escape and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beans are cooked through and are tender.
  • Transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup to a blender. Remove the plug from the lid and carefully hold a kitchen towel over the hole while your puree the soup until smooth. Add the puree back to the pot with the remaining soup and stir until combined.
  • Add in half of the chopped bacon, taste and season with 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste.
  • It may be necessary to thin the soup out with more chicken broth if it's too thick.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and top with reserved bacon pieces.

Notes

If using canned beans you will need about 3 (15 ounce) cans of navy beans. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the sautéed vegetables. Use 4 cups of low-sodium broth (instead of 6 cups) and follow with the remaining ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes with the lid askew, taste and season to taste and adding more broth in the end if needed.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 330kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 809mg, Potassium: 1029mg, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1497IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 4mg

homemade bean and bacon soup l simplyscratch.com