There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of soup on a cold day. This Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup has become one of my favorite soups to make when the temps take that dip. Now don’t be out off by the broccoli like my kids, because this soup has bacon in it. Smoky, crispy bacon!
Not to sound like Guy Fieri, but I call this the Triple B: Beans, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup.
To be a good food blogger, I could tell you all about the health benefits of this soup; like how the broccoli is loaded with vitamins C and K, folic acid, potassium, and fiber; or that the beans are one of the best plant-based sources of protein, and have vitamin B1, potassium, magnesium, and iron in them, but I won’t.
This is just a good hearty soup that happens to have plenty of health benefits. And bacon.
I love bacon. The majority of my recipes start with bacon as the foundation of the flavor – like my Monday Red Beans and Rice recipe. I don’t make meals to be healthy necessarily, right? I just like to make a good homemade meal that me and my family are going to enjoy. And when I say broccoli, they think that there better be something good to go with it, like melted cheese, plenty of seasoning, or bacon. Sometimes all three!
And that’s what this soup is all about: a comforting meal on a cold day; or an easy and great tasting soup after a stressful day It’s a great soup to add to the rotation and mix up the usual soup suspects.
Another different soup to try is my Hot Red Pepper Soup with Creole Croutons.
What ingredients do I need to make Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup?
Beans: One of my favorite beans for soup is Great Northern Beans. They are popular because they can retain their shape during the cooking process along with absorbing the other flavors. A good substitution is Cannellini Beans or Navy Beans.
Broccoli: There are so many health benefits to broccoli that it should be in your daily diet like beans. It can help protect you against certain cancers, reduce inflammation, and improve cholesterol levels. Plus, without broccoli, this soup would only be Beans and Bacon Soup…
Bacon: Almost nothing beats to flavor of bacon. It enhances a lot of recipes and this one is no different. The bacon drippings set the foundation for this soup, and then the crumbled, crunchy bacon bits at the end complete it like nothing else.
Trinity: The vegetables in this soup are the classic French mirepox of onions, carrots, and celery. Plus, there is plenty of garlic.
Seasoning: The soup is seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, dried parsley, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Liquids: The chicken broth adds a rich deep flavor to the soup while not being overpowering. The half-and-half will help to thicken the soup and give it a creaminess. Another thickening agent in the soup is flour. It’s not a seasoning nor a liquid, but it’s here to thicken the liquids and where I wanted to type it…
How do I make Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup?
The complete recipe instructions are below, and printable. Here is a quick run-down of the steps:
1. Cook the bacon until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside to cool. Try not to eat them – I know it’s hard, but you will need them later. Once the bacon has cooled, chop it into small pieces. Reserve 1/2 cup for the soup and set the rest aside for garnish.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, dried parsley, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and half-and-half, bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the white beans and broccoli, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
5. Stir in the chopped bacon before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining chopped bacon. Enjoy!
What can I serve with Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup?
I think warm French bread with butter or crackers at the table are perfect with this soup. You could also serve cornbread or dinner rolls.
Sometimes I’ll also add a simple side salad to make this a complete meal along with the bread.
How do I store leftover Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup?
The soup will only last about 3 days in the refrigerator. For the best results, store them in an air-tight container. If you know that you’re not going to go through the entire pot of soup, freeze some for a later date.
How long will Bean, Broccoli, and Bacon Soup last in the freezer?
This soup will last about 3 months if sealed properly in the freezer.
You can place the soup in an air-tight container or large resealable freezer bags. Don’t forget to label and date the packaging. To use again, you can thaw the frozen soup by placing it in the fridge and letting it sit overnight or place the container in a bowl of warm water for a quick thaw.
More Soup recipes:
- White Bean and Ham Soup
- New Orleans Yakamein
- Greek White Bean Soup
- Creole Croutons for Soups and Salads
More Bean recipes:
- Monday Red Beans and Rice
- Red Bean Jambalaya
- Meatless Black Eyed Peas and Rice
- Simple Spicy White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 10 strips of bacon reserve the drippings
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup flour
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- salt
- pepper
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups broccoli florets cropped into bite sized pieces
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside to cool.
- Once the bacon has cooled, chop it into small pieces. Reserve 1/2 cup for the soup and set the rest aside for garnish.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the reserved bacon drippings, and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, dried parsley, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Pour in the chicken stock and half-and-half, bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the white beans and broccoli, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Stir in 1/2 cup of the chopped bacon before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining chopped bacon. Enjoy!
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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