Tomato Bacon Soup

In the past week, the temperatures have started to warm up and I am loving the first signs of Spring. But, I’m not yet ready to bid farewell to my favorite soup- in fact, I think this soup works year-round.

This tomato bacon soup is a modified version of a recipe I found a few years back in a Rachael Ray magazine and has become a favorite in our household. It makes for a wonderful, hearty dinner, especially when paired with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!

Yield: 8-10 servings

Fix Portions (per 1 cup serving): 1 green, ¼ yellow, ¼ red

Ingredients

• 4 slices turkey bacon (look for the kind without nitrates and preservatives)
• 1 large (32oz) can of crushed tomatoes (I recommend the Hunts All Natural kind with basil added. If you can't find that, regular crushed tomatoes are fine too)
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 fresno (red) chile pepper, finely chopped (remove most of the ribs and seeds- while this is more of a mild/medium heat level, you don’t want the spice to overpower the soup. You just want the flavor the pepper gives because in my opinion it really makes the dish!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• ½ quart chicken stock (all natural, organic, low sodium is best)
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil and parsley (best with both, but either or works best too)
• Bay leaves (i just use a sprinkle of dried, but you can add a whole fresh bay leaf if you prefer)

Directions

1. In a dutch oven, brown the bacon. Remove from pan. Finely chop.
2. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and fresno to the same pan and saute until tender (you cook it in the pan drippings, but you might need to add a little EVOO depending on how much grease your bacon yielded. Alternatively, if theres more than 1-2 tbsp of bacon grease, I would remove some before sauteeing the veggies, so the soup isn’t overly greasy… just depends on your bacon that day). Season with salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
3. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook until heated through and beans are tender- I usually give it at least 3-4 hours on low, but it can cook all day too!

Bonus

I serve this with a grilled cheese on the side for dipping. The BEST cheese with this recipe is Boars Head 3-Pepper Colby Jack. It has a kick to it, so an alternative cheese might be better for kiddos, but its the perfect pairing!