Soup To Warm the Heart

There is a slight chill to the air and that turns my thoughts to soup!  There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a cold day to warm you up.  Lucky for me Celtic Man likes soup and thinks of it as a meal.  Some men do not believe soup is a meal - are they ever missing out!! I look forward to the cool days of fall and winter when I can make soup, stews and chilli for dinner.  Of course, the leftovers are even better!!  These are dishes that just get better the next day and the next.... 

One of my favorite soups is bean soup.  I remember the wonderful bean soup my mother use to make.  She would soak the beans and add the bacon, potatoes and carrots and cook it tell the house smelled so warm and inviting.    In my youth I use to add ketchup to my bowl of soup when I went to eat it.  That was because that was what my daddy did, and all little girls did what daddy did!!! LOL 

Now I can soak the beans and make my soup from scratch, but when I am in a hurry I have found a quick way to get the same flavor in about 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.  So here is my take on wonderful Navy Bean Soup.  I hope you enjoy it.

Navy Bean Soup

3-4 cans of Navy Beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag of small potatoes
1 bag of small baby carrots
1-2 cans of vegetable broth
1 pack of Swanson vegetable flavor booster
1 lb. Bacon
1 onion, diced
approx 2 cups of water
1 container (14.5 oz) Mirepoix (Trader Joe's-mix of celery, carrots and onions)
salt, pepper
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme

If using the Mirepoix empty the container in a large pot.  Dice the bacon and add to the pot.  Add broth, flavor booster pack and about 2 cups of water, or enough to fill pot close to half full.  Wash the potatoes and cut small potatoes in quarters, and larger ones so they are about the same size.  Add the potatoes, carrots and onion to pot along with bay leaf, thyme, a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are just done.  About 10-15 minutes.

After the vegetables are done add the drained and rinced beans and cook until everything is hot.  Remove the bay leaf before serving.  Taste broth and adjust seasoning as necessary.  Eat and enjoy!

NOTE:  Celtic Man loves meat in his soup, so I usually use about a 1.5 lbs. of bacon to make him happy.  The next day I skim the fat off of the soup before I reheat it.