Equipment
Ingredients
Meat
- 150 g thick-cut smoked bacon, diced
Aromatics and Produce
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery, finely diced
- 3 garlic, minced
- 10 g fresh parsley, chopped
Pantry and Liquids
- 500 g canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 500 ml chicken broth, low sodium preferred
- 2 g fresh thyme, whole sprigs
- 1 bay leaf, whole
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- kosher salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 275 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 14 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 1013 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Cholesterol
- 16 mg
- Potassium
- 1625 mg
- Calcium
- 340 mg
- Iron
- 7.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 89 mg
- Phosphorus
- 296 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 225 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 49 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.94 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.70 mg
- Niacin
- 8.1 mg
- Folate
- 77 mcg
- Water
- 94 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the fat renders and the meat is crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove roughly half of the cooked bacon from the pot and set it aside on a paper towel for garnishing. Leave the remaining bacon and all the rendered fat in the pot.
Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery to the hot bacon fat. Saute until the vegetables are softened and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until highly fragrant, ensuring it does not brown or burn.
Pour in the chicken broth, using your wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to release any caramelized browned bits. Add the drained white beans, fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil at 100C/212F.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and let the soup simmer steadily for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the broth to infuse.
Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Use a potato masher to crush about a quarter of the beans directly in the pot. Stir well to integrate the released bean starches, which will naturally thicken the broth to a creamy consistency.
Taste the soup and season with salt only if needed, as the bacon and broth already provide significant sodium. Ladle into warm bowls, garnish with the reserved crispy bacon and chopped fresh parsley, and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Using thick-cut, high-quality smoked bacon provides a crucial depth of flavor that mimics hours of simmering a traditional smoked ham hock, saving significant time.
- Do not salt the soup until the absolute final step. Both the bacon and the chicken broth contribute substantial sodium, which naturally concentrates as the soup simmers and reduces.
- Rinsing canned beans is essential. It removes excess sodium and any metallic flavors from the canning liquid, giving you a cleaner canvas for the aromatic base.
- For an even creamier texture without adding dairy, you can use an immersion blender on one side of the pot for just 2 to 3 seconds before stirring it all together.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The soup will thicken as it cools; add a splash of water when reheating.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze in individual portions. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until simmering.
Troubleshooting
Soup broth is too watery or thin after simmering.
Cause: Not enough starch was released from the canned beans to properly thicken the liquid.
Fix: Crush more beans using the potato masher, or leave the pot uncovered and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to reduce the excess liquid.
Prevention: Thoroughly crush a portion of the beans at the end of cooking to act as a natural thickener.
Soup tastes overly salty.
Cause: Salt was added early in the cooking process, or highly salted bacon and broth were used.
Fix: Stir in a splash of water, unsalted broth, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to help balance the aggressive sodium.
Prevention: Wait until the very end of cooking to taste and adjust the salt level.
Cultural Context
White bean and pork soups are foundational in many rustic peasant cuisines, historically designed to stretch a small amount of expensive cured meat into a hearty, calorie-dense meal for agricultural workers. This quick modern adaptation utilizes pantry staples like canned beans to achieve the soul-warming comfort and nutritional profile of a traditional all-day simmer in a fraction of the time.
