Butter Bean Soup with Bacon

This butter bean soup with bacon is delicious, easy to make, and packed full of nutrients and protein. Enjoy a comforting bowl of butter bean soup with crusty bread and loads of lemon juice for the perfect cold-weather treat.

Butter beans may not be the most exciting ingredient of them all, but they truly shine in this butter bean soup with bacon.

There's nothing quite like a comforting bowl of soup to warm you up at the end of a busy day, and this butter bean soup truly delivers.

If you're looking for recipes with butter beans in a can, this soup is a perfect candidate. It's hearty and nutritious and can easily be made vegan, too.

I like to make it with canned butter beans for extra convenience, but you can obviously make it with dried beans.

Just make sure you soak them overnight and simmer for 30 minutes before adding them to the soup.

Ingredients for butter bean soup with bacon

Butter beans - Canned butter beans have a deliciously creamy texture that's perfect for this soup. You can use any other type of white beans for this soup, like cannellini beans, for example.

Bacon - Both smoked and unsmoked bacon lardons work well in this soup. Pancetta works just as well, and I often use it instead of bacon in recipes such as this.

Onion, celery, and carrots - Brown onion is perfect for this soup. Together with the carrot and celery, it forms a perfect base for this soup.

Garlic and thyme - You'll get the best flavour by using fresh garlic and thyme. You can also vary the herbs if you like. Ideas include fresh rosemary, bay leaves and even a dash of dried mint.

Vegetable stock - Try to use the best quality vegetable stock you can for this soup as it really makes a difference. Chicken stock is a good option, too.

How do you make the soup

• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes until slightly crispy.
• Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
• In the same pot, saute the onion, carrot and celery for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until softened.
• Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute until fragrant.

• Stir in the butter beans, vegetable stock and cavolo nero, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the beans are tender and the kale has wilted.
• Next, add the fried bacon back to the pot and stir in the lemon juice.
• Season to taste and serve with extra lemon wedges and crusty bread, if you like.

Make it vegan

It's super easy to make this soup vegan, as all you need to do is skip the bacon step. Alternatively, you can use some plant-based bacon rashers and cook them just like you would do with the bacon.

Recipe notes and tips

• This butter bean soup will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days (in an airtight container). You can easily reheat leftovers on the stove or in the microwave.
• The soup also freezes well. Allow it to cool completely, and then freeze it in a covered container or individual ziplock bags for up to three months. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight, then reheat it.
• Some extra veggies you can add to this soup include zucchini, potatoes and spinach instead of kale.

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