Just when I was about the say that I was DONE with the Pioneer Woman, I found this delicious recipe. I don’t usually have time to soak beans overnight and then pre-cook them for a recipe. I used canned cannelloni beans for this recipe and they worked just fine. Another handy item to have in your cabinet is tomato paste in a tube. Many recipes call for a tablespoon of paste. Yes, you can buy a small can of tomato paste and then put the remainder in a container and freeze, never to be found or used again. It’s just another thing to do. I can hear your eyes rolling. Buy the tubes on sale, you will thank me. Just to remember to refrigerate the tube after opening. I recently found a container of chicken stock that He Who Will Not Be Named put in the cabinet instead of the fridge. I may need therapy. It wasn’t pretty.

2-15 ounce cans of cannelloni beans

4 cups of chicken stock (store bought works great)

1 lb. bacon cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, diced (or 2 if you love onions like me)

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 whole Bay leaves

minced parsley, to taste

Open the cans of beans and rinse. I take one can of beans and mash them up. Use a fork and a potato masher. Just break them up. Don’t over think this!  This helps thicken the soup a little. Put all the beans aside, in a bowl.

Put the bacon in a stock pot and cook until crisp.You should take the bacon out of the pan and place it on a plate with a paper towel, to drain. You will be adding some of the bacon back in the soup, and will reserve some for a topping. You can use less bacon.

Drain some of the bacon fat out of the pan and add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt on the vegetables and cook until softened. Remember to put the hot bacon fat in a heat resistant container, or else it will explode. It happened to, um, a “friend” of mine. Oops. If you need more oil, add some olive oil to the pan. Stir, stir, stir. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Let this cook for about a minute. Stir, stir, stir. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves,  2/3 of the bacon, and beans. Give it a good stir, and put the lid back on. Simmer the soup for about 45 minutes. If you want less liquid, after 45 minutes, you can remove the lid and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce the liquid. Keep an eye on the soup. You don’t want too much liquid to evaporate and scorch the pan. Not good!

When ready to serve, taste and season if needed. Serve with the remaining bacon sprinkled on top with the parsley. Unless you eat bacon everyday, don’t worry about it! Enjoy the damn soup!

Here’s the original recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I’ve slightly altered the recipe. She’s got pictures, if you need them.

Note: You can use vegetable stock. But why? I am assuming turkey bacon would work. You are no fun!