Italian Navy Bean Soup Recipe
This Italian navy bean soup is quick to make, delicious (anything with bacon is delicious!) and actually quite filling, despite its lighter broth.
This is a hearty soup that fills you up with protein (both meat and plant-based protein) and fiber. Navy beans are the bean with the highest fiber content! So I tend to eat them a lot these days. And they are so, crazy delicious!
The navy bean is a small, white bean with 19.1 grams of fiber per cup! It’s native to the Americas and has a mild flavor that goes well with just about anything.
NOTES ON THE BACON
I used Applegate turkey bacon for this. It has a very clean ingredient list and is the only bacon I eat these days. If you have access to good quality bacon, there is no reason not to enjoy this cut of meat in moderation. Just stay away from the main stream grocery store brands. They are heavily processed, packed with sugar and all kinds of not-so-great-for-you ingredients.
To make this soup, you’ll want your bacon cooked separately. I like to bake mine in the oven at 400 F. for 15-20 minutes, but you can also cook it in a skillet. Whatever gets the job done.
HOW TO MAKE THIS SOUP
The instructions call for using a skillet to sauté your veggies and then combining everything in a large soup pot. However, to save dishes, you can certainly sauté in your soup pot. Whatever is easiest. I used two separate pieces of cookware only to save on time. I wanted to keep things rolling. So pick what is most important to you. Time or saving an extra dish.
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Enjoy!
ITALIAN NAVY BEAN SOUP RECIPE:
Ingredients
- 4 oz. cooked turkey bacon
- ¾ cup chopped red onion
- 4 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)
- 8 cups chicken broth (no sugar added, low sodium is best)
- 4 cups cooked navy beans (canned are fine with no sugar added - drain and rinse)
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cook the bacon separately, then stack and chop.
- In a skillet, sauté the onions and mushrooms in the oil. Cook them down well so they are nice and caramelized. Keep the heat on the lower side for this. Let it cook slowly.
- While that cooks, put the remaining ingredients into a medium to large soup or stock pot.
- When the bacon, mushrooms and onions are ready, add them to the soup and bring everything to a rolling boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, just to give the flavors a few minutes to really blend together.
- Serve and season with salt to taste.