Best Bacon Bean Cabbage Soup Recipes

BACON, CABBAGE, AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, saute your diced bacon for about five minutes until it starts to release its fat. If it's really fatty, drain some, so that you keep about a tbsp of bacon fat in the pot. Add your carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook for about 10 min, until vegetables are soft.
• Add your chicken broth, water, and all of your spices except for the salt (be cautious with the salt--this soup can easily get too salty). Cover pot with lid. Bring to a boil. Add the beans and the cabbage, and let come to a gentle boil again. At this point, bring it to a gentle simmer on a lower heat and let it simmer away for about 30 minute Stir every once in a while so nothing sticks to the bottom.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. If you'd like, add the tsp of salt here, if it needs it. If you find you want to bring out the sweetness of the cabbage just a touch because your bacon is too smokey, add the sugar. (I liked the small bit of sugar.).
• Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, adjusting seasonings as needed. Discard your bay leaf and serve. Garnish with a tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan (it adds a really nice nutty depth to the soup.).
• Stored in an airtight container, soup will keep well in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

CABBAGE, LEEK, BEAN, AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Soak all beans over night or 8 hours in water. Drain, rinse, and set aside until needed.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut top off of bulb of garlic so that all tops of cloves are exposed. Place bulb in foil or in small ramekin. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil on top of garlic. Salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast until tops are slightly browned - about 20-30 minutes. When roasted, set aside to cool.
• While garlic is cooling, coat bottom of stockpot with remainder of olive oil. Heat olive oil Medium. Place onion in stockpot and salt. Sweat onion while halving and slicing leek. Place leek in stockpot and stir. Add bacon to stockpot. Squeeze roasted garlic out of bulb and into stockpot and stir, smashing the cloves as you go. Salt and pepper and sautee until leeks and onions are soft and bacon is just about to start browning. You don't want the bacon raw and you don't want it browned - get it somewhere in between.
• As the above mixture is sauteeing, shred cabbage. Add cabbage and stir until all is coated with oil and bacon grease.
• Stir in water and chicken stock and set stove temp to Medium High. Add bean mixture and rice and bring soup to a boil.
• Boil until beans and rice are tender. Skim any bubbles off of the top of the soup throughout cook time. Serve when satisfied with all the textures in the soup.

BACON, BEAN & CABBAGE SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Soak the haricot beans in cold water overnight.
• 2. The next day, put the bacon hock into a deep pan with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then cover and leave to simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning it over now and then as the liquid starts to reduce, until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone. Leave the hock in the cooking liquor until cool enough to handle.
• 3. Meanwhile, drain the beans and put into a second pan with 1 litre of cold water. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum as it rises to the surface, then lower the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. Drain and set aside.
• 4. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes until it's soft. Strain 1.75 litres of the bacon's cooking liquor into the pan, add the turnip or swede and potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 5. Meanwhile, discard the skin from the hock and tear the meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
• 6. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core and thinly slice (or slice the curly kale). Add the bacon pieces, cabbage and beans to the soup and simmer for 5-7 minutes until tender.
• 7. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the garlic, parsley and plenty of black pepper. Ladle into large warmed soup plates and serve with lots of fresh crusty bread.