Soaking the dried beans using the quick soak method saves time compared to the overnight method.This old fashioned ham and bean soup uses a Dutch oven to promote even cooking and prevent burning the bottom of the pot.Ladle into bowls and top with extra bacon if desired (for me? always desired). The need for salt really depends on the ham and bacon you use so I kept it low on purpose. You could also use an immersion blender in place of a blender if you have one.ДЄdd blended soup back to pot and stir to combine. Take 3 cups of the soup and place in the blender (leave the plug in the lid off to let steam escape and cover with a paper towel to avoid splashes while you blend). Remove from heat and stir in bacon and liquid smoke to taste if you choose to use it. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. While you do this step contemplate if there anything in the world that smells as good as garlic and onion sauteing in bacon drippings.ДЄdd diced ham, beans, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to pan and stir to combine. Crazy, really.ДЄdd diced onion and garlic to pan with reserved bacon drippings and saute for about 2 minutes. Only crazy people like my friend Carly dislike bacon. Have I mentioned that itвЂ™s one of my 3 favorite foods? Right up there with chocolate and garlic. Reserve 1 Tablespoon bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest (dump it in one of those empty bean cans). Hope you love this as much as I do!Дў red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces (2-2 1/2C)Дў cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained Pair it with some warm breadsticks, or a grilled cheese sandwich and youвЂ™ve got yourself comfort in a bowl. You know, the kind that a guy can eat for dinner and not have to have a course of cereal, cold pizza, and chips after because heвЂ™s still hungry. And a quick puree instantly turns it from a simmered broth to a rich and creamy meal. So it gets the yummy natural flavors from bacon and ham, smoked paprika and just a touch of liquid smoke. My college roommates always loved me during finals week!) I wanted the soup to taste smoky, and be creamy, without having lots of calories or artificial smokey ingredients. Why else do girls all over the world reach out for the Ben and JerryвЂ™s at the first sign of a broken heart?!Д«ack on that on that cold fall night I sat there awake in bed avoiding stress and unpleasantness by trying to configure a recipe (I tend to cook when IвЂ™m under pressure. Food connects us with our past and has a special way of soothing our souls. ItвЂ™s why every Christmas I still make the same meal that I ate every Christmas morning growing up, and why when I miss Brazil and the people there I make Black Bean Soup, and why when IвЂ™m stuffed up and feeling sick I drink hot jello, just like my Mom used to make. Funny how I sat there all curled up and all I wanted was bean with bacon soup- something I hadnвЂ™t had in years! Food has a way of conjuring up memories and feelings like nothing else. My Mom had a horrible accident and I was hundreds of miles away just worrying and stressing and trying to sort through a rush of emotions and memories.

Maybe thatвЂ™s when last fall on a cold rainy day I found myself craving soup. Just the smell of it brings back memories of my childhood and my parents and the house I grew up in. IвЂ™m talking about the condensed kind in the olвЂ™ red and white can.

For as long as I can remember the only soup IвЂ™ve ever seen him eat is Bean with Bacon, and he loves it. I know ham and bean soup probably doesnвЂ™t sound super exciting, but youвЂ™ve got to believe me when I tell you how good it is! IвЂ™ve been wanting to post it for months and with all of the holiday festivities around here it kept getting pushed off.

And it seems like every year I find one during вЂњsoup seasonвЂќ that I just keep making over and over again. ItвЂ™s no secret that we love soups around here.

Ham and bean soup